Brief. Me Better Faster December 22, 2024 5:22 am
Coronavirus Cases: 147,788,998
Deaths: 3,122,633
Recovered: 125,322,812
Boris Johnson urged to reveal if he endorsed Super League plans
Boris Johnson has been urged to reveal whether he signaled his endorsement of the European Super League (ESL) when he met the chief executive of one of the English football clubs leading the breakaway in Downing Street days before it was unveiled. – The Guardian
Sarah Halimi: Thousands protest decision not to try Jewish woman’s killer
Crowds gathered in Paris and other French cities on Sunday to denounce a ruling by France’s highest court that the killer of a Jewish woman, Sarah Halimi, was not criminally responsible and will not stand trial.
Thousands filled the Trocadero Plaza in Paris, in front of the Eiffel Tower, in response to a call by Jewish associations and organizations fighting antisemitism. – Euronews
US Begins Winding Down Afghan Military Mission
The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan says the process of completely removing American troops from the conflict-torn country has already begun.
Gen. Scott Miller told local reporters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Sunday that all of his troops “are now preparing to retrograde” under orders he had received – VOA
Egypt’s Health Minister: We have lost 115 doctors to virus
Egyptian Minister of Health Hala Zayed has said 115 doctors are known to have died with COVID-19 as a result of their work in Egypt’s quarantine hospitals.
Zayed said the rise in coronavirus cases is gaining pace in the country. The Ministry of Health has decided to cut the number of non-urgent cases admitted to hospitals to keep beds free for those who really need them. Zayed stressed that the Egyptian government is keen to provide COVID-19 vaccines to all Egyptian citizens. – Arab News
Vaccine rollout in England extends to 44-year-olds
BBC News says about half a million more people in England are being invited to book their Covid-19 jab from Monday, as the vaccine rollout opens to 44-year-olds.
Two-thirds of the previous age group – 45 to 49-year-olds – have received their first dose.
The NHS said it would set out when 40 to 43-year-olds would be able to book appointments “in the coming days”, as supply allows.
Boris Johnson said he ‘would rather let bodies pile high’ than impose third lockdown, reports claim
The Independent says Boris Johnson has been accused of saying that he would rather allow “bodies [to] pile high in their thousands” than impose another national lockdown.
It was reported that the prime minister made the remark after he ordered the second lockdown at the end of October.
Downing Street has strongly denied that Mr Johnson made the comment and said it was “just another lie”. But the Daily Mail said the sources who allege he made the comment back their claim.
Deadly fire tears through Baghdad Covid-19 hospital after oxygen tank explodes
France24 says at least 82 people died when a fire broke out Sunday in a coronavirus intensive care unit in the capital of Iraq, a country with long-dilapidated health infrastructure facing mounting Covid-19 cases. PM Mustafa al-Kadhemi suspended Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi while he was questioned over the fire.
The fire, which wounded a further 110 people, started with an explosion caused by “a fault in the storage of oxygen cylinders”, medical sources told AFP.
Passengers jump for their lives as train cars separate in Egypt’s latest railway mishap
Arab News says northern Egypt’s Alexandria governorate witnessed a train accident at dawn on Sunday, as carriages separated in the Abu Qir area before entering Al-Mamoura station, in the east of the governorate.
No one was killed or injured during the incident. Egypt’s National Railways Authority sent a technical crew to the scene. The separated carriage was reinstalled by the team, allowing the train to continue its journey. The service resumed within two hours.
Several countries promise rapid aid as COVID rages in India
Aljazeera says several countries have promised to rapidly send supplies to help India as the country reels from shortages of oxygen and medicines amid a devastating second wave of the coronavirus.
The United States on Sunday said it was working to immediately deploy to India drug treatments, rapid diagnostic COVID-19 testing kits, ventilators and personal protective equipment and will seek to provide oxygen supplies as well.
Turkey summons US envoy over Biden’s remarks on Armenian events of 1915
TRT World says Turkey’s foreign ministry has summoned the US Ambassador in Ankara to protest US President’s Joe Biden’s statement on the Armenian events of 1915.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal met with David Satterfield late Saturday to express Ankara’s strong condemnation. “The statement does not have a legal ground in terms of international law and has hurt the Turkish people, opening a wound that’s hard to fix in our relations,” the ministry said.
EU Will Let Vaccinated Americans Visit This Summer, Top Official Says
VOA says a top EU official said Sunday that Americans who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 should be able to travel to Europe by summer, easing existing travel restrictions.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told The New York Times that the union’s 27 members would accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by the European Medicines Agency. The agency has approved the three vaccines used in the United States.
Monday’s front pages
Post office scandal: Ex-boss quits director role after convictions quashed – Read on
Amazon must let workers join unions ‘without fear’ – Read on
Older workers ‘see biggest jobs fall since 1980s’ – Read on
Man City beat Spurs to win Carabao Cup – Read on
Late Villa equaliser hurst West Brom – Read on
World Snooker Championship: Judd Trump and Stuart Bingham build commanding second-round leads – Read on
Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood secretly battled rare aggressive cancer during lockdown – Read on
Oscars 2021: Chloe Zhao, from ‘outsider’ to Hollywood history-maker – Read on
Alber Elbaz: Fashion designer dies in Paris aged 59 – 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
