Brief. Me Better Faster December 28, 2025 11:45 pm
Sadiq Khan wins second term as London mayor despite tighter-than-expected race
Sadiq Khan has won a second term as Mayor of London, beating Conservative rival Shaun Bailey by a narrower than expected margin.
Mr Khan, the Labour candidate, won more than 1 million first-preference votes, but turnout was only 42 per cent. – Independent
EU seals deal with Pfizer-BioNTech for up to 1.8 billion vaccine doses
The European Union agreed on Saturday to a massive contract extension with Pfizer-BioNTech for a potential 1.8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses through 2023.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that her office “has just approved a contract for a guaranteed 900 million doses (+900 million options).” – Euronews
Cyberattack Shuts Down Top US Fuel Pipeline Network
Top U.S. fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline has shut its entire network, the source of nearly half of the U.S. East Coast’s fuel supply, after a cyber attack that the company said was caused by ransomware. – VOA
Syria says fire erupts in main Homs refinery
Syrian authorities are working on extinguishing a fire that erupted in its main Homs refinery in the west of the nation, state media said on Sunday.
The fire erupted in a distillation unit due to a leak in a pumping station, it said without elaborating. – Arab News
7 new community COVID-19 cases in Singapore, including 3 workers at Changi Airport
Seven community cases were among the 20 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore as of noon on Saturday (May 8).
Two of the seven cases are linked to the cluster involving workers at Pasir Panjang Terminal and had already been placed on quarantine. – CNA
Kabul attack: Blasts near school leave more than 50 dead
Blasts close to a secondary school in the Afghan capital Kabul have left at least 50 people dead and more than 100 injured, officials say.
The explosions took place as students were leaving the building on Saturday, with pictures on social media showing abandoned school bags in the street.
Most of the victims were girls, a ministry of education spokeswoman said. – BBC World
In today’s briefing update, most of the Sunday paper’s front page continues its coverage on the fallout from the local elections.
Below are our top picks of the Sunday Papers.
Sturgeon falls short of a majority in Scotland as Labour civil war erupts
The Sunday Telegraph reports the election results in Scotland. The Scottish National Party won the most seats in Holyrood but fell short of winning a majority. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has called for another independence referendum, saying it is “the will of the country.”
The paper says Labour looks set “to descend into civil war.” It comes after deputy leader Labour leader Angela Rayner was sacked as chair of the party.
Read the full story on the Telegraph
We must unite as team UK, PM urges Sturgeon
The Mail on Sunday says PM Boris Johnson is offering Sturgeon the chance to join a UK-wide council of war to rebuild the nation after Covid-19. She has reportedly rejected the offer, labeling it as a “supposedly clever maneuver,” the paper says. The offer comes after the SNP narrowly missed gaining a Holyrood majority.
Read the full story on the Daily Mail
Boris’s plan for brighter Britain
The Sunday Express leads with PM Boris Johnson’s comments that there will be “no let-up on leveling up”. Boris Johnson has also promised the country a “brighter future” following the Conservatives’ election success in the local elections.
Read the full story on the Daily Express
Tests will cost more than your hol
The Sunday Mirror leads with summer holiday news. The paper says that a family of four could end up paying £960 on Covid-19 tests to go abroad – more than some holidays cost.
The report comes after the government on Friday announced the 12 destinations on its green list – areas people can travel to without having to quarantine on their return to England.
Read the full story on the Daily Mirror
BGT stars race to save Nathaniel
The stars of the ITV show Britain’s Got Talent has joined a campaign to pay for treatment for Nathaniel Nabena, who has leukemia, the Sunday People reports. His family is trying to raise £1250,000 in three days.
Read the full story on the Mirror’s Sunday People
UK holidays – £500m ‘still owed’
The Mail on Sunday says a row about Perspex screens could lengthen queues at Heathrow when international travel resumes on 17 May.
The Sunday Mirror reports that holidaymakers are still owed £500m from package holidays and flights which were canceled last year because of the pandemic.
“You’ve had some bad luck, missus” is how the Daily Star Sunday describes the story of a woman who believes she has been abducted by aliens on 52 occasions.
The Queen’s Speech
The Sunday Times looks ahead to Tuesday’s Queen’s Speech, which it says will include a commitment to bring jobs directly to so-called “red wall” areas of England so people no longer have to leave their hometowns to find well-paid work.
In an editorial, the Sunday Express urges the PM to “get cracking” on addressing these inequalities, and says the Queen’s Speech “must show tangible signs on just what leveling up means”.
‘Pressure lifted’ from Boris Johnson
“Landslide” is the Herald on Sunday’s headline, while the pro-independence National says the result shows there is now cast-iron support for another referendum on Scotland’s future outside the union.
But the Sunday Telegraph suggests Ms. Sturgeon’s failure to secure an outright majority has “greatly lifted the pressure” on Boris Johnson to grant her a referendum.
Covid: Travel firms reject ‘overly cautious’ green list – BBC Business
Hospitality chiefs plea for fresh government support package after revenue slump – Sky Business
Covid strain that contains 18 mutations is more deadly and infectious, researchers warn – CityAM
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez v Billy Joe Saunders: Mexican wins with eighth-round stoppage – Read on
Man City v Chelsea: Has Sergio Aguero’s Panenka helped give Chelsea a Champions League boost? – Read on
Walker Cup: US hold slim Walker Cup lead over Great Britain and Ireland at Seminole – Read on
A spat over Covid vaccine doses has erupted between the European Union and the UK threatens to have far reaching implications over coronavirus jab disruption.
Brussels demanded access to AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in UK plants to make up for a shortfall after the pharmaceutical giant said it would have to cut the amount of doses delivered to the bloc by the end of March.
What do we know about the dispute? And what potential implications could the rumbling dispute have on future Covid vaccine rollouts? – (ITV)
Recent and upcoming changes
Restrictions are easing across the UK.
In England
Step 1 of the roadmap out of lockdown has begun. Shielding ends on 31 March.
In Scotland
People will be asked to ‘Stay Local’ from 2 April. A timetable for further lockdown easing from 5 April is on GOV.SCOT.
In Wales
The stay at home restriction was lifted on 13 March. Read about the rules on GOV.WALES.
In Northern Ireland
The next review will happen on or before 15 April. You can read the guidance on current restrictions on nidirect.
latest Covid-19 news
For the latest Covid-19 news visit the UK governement website