Daily News Briefing
Brief. Me - December 13, 2025 6:33 am
Covid-19: Hotel bookings for quarantine being made ‘at pace’
BBC News says thousands of hotel rooms are being block-booked by the government hours after it confirmed quarantine rules related to Covid variant hotspots will begin on 15 February.
Ministers plan for more than 1,000 UK residents a day to return from places where new variants are prevalent.
Those travellers must stay in hotel rooms for 10 nights, with security accompanying them if they go outside. Labour accused ministers of “putting lives at risk” by not acting sooner.
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Jeremy Hunt: Covid restrictions should stay until cases fall to 1,000 a day
The Guardian says Ministers should take a cautious approach to lifting lockdown in England so that new coronavirus cases can be driven down to a manageable level of 1,000 a day, Jeremy Hunt has said.
Hunt said the government should aim at suppressing Covid sufficiently to make a South Korean-style approach of intensive contact tracing possible.
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France remains ‘fragile’ but no new Covid-19 lockdown for now, PM says
France24 says French PM Jean Castex said the coronavirus situation in France remained fragile but that for the moment there was no need for a new national lockdown.
Castex said the rate of infection had not significantly increased over the past two weeks, even if the pressure on French hospitals remained strong.
“We must stick with the current restrictions we already have in place … but the situation today does not justify a new national lockdown,” he told a news conference.
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‘As fake as her tweets’? Police open conspiracy PROBE into Greta Thunberg’s ‘protest toolkit,’ accuse creators of ‘WAR ON INDIA’
RT News says police in New Delhi have opened a conspiracy investigation into the creators of a “toolkit” with instructions on how to amplify the farmers’ protests in India – a document that has been shared by Greta Thunberg.
Thunberg took to Twitter to share a lengthy document outlining ways for activists to contribute to India’s ongoing pro-farmer protests, including stock messages and hashtags to disseminate on social media, as well as advice on organizing rallies. Within hours, the “toolkit” was taken offline by its creators and replaced with a much shorter version, with Thunberg noting the previous doc was “outdated” as she shared the new guide.
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Al-Qaeda’s leader in Yemen under arrest: UN report
Arab News says the leader of Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate has been under arrest for several months, according to a United Nations report released on Thursday.
The report to the Security Council from a UN monitoring team said Khalid Batarfi, who took over the leadership of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) a year ago, was arrested and his deputy, Saad Atef Al-Awlaqi, died during an “operation in Ghayda City, Al-Mahrah Governorate, in October.”
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Buried in rubbish: Bali’s beaches blighted by sea-borne waste
Aljazeera says every day at the crack of dawn, hundreds of fishermen land their traditional outrigger fishing boats at Jimbaran Bay, a long arch of golden sand in Bali’s south, to unload the night’s catch.
But this week they saw an estimated 100 tonnes of plastic and paper waste piled up to one metre (3.2 feet) high along the beach and entangled with branches and logs.
“This is not our rubbish. It comes from over there,” Putu, one of hundreds of local residents who spent the day sorting, collecting and burning trash on Jimbaran Bay, told Al Jazeera while pointing east at the sea. “It comes from Java,” added Made, another man raking the sand, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.
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Biden terminates US support for Saudi-led offensive in Yemen
TRT World says President Joe Biden has said that the war in Yemen must end, pledging to terminate US support for Saudi-led offensive operations and to halt arms sales.
“This war has to end,” Biden said.
“To underscore our commitment, we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arm sales.”
The US will continue to support and help Saudi Arabia to defend its sovereignty and territory, Biden said in his first foreign policy speech at the Department of State in Washington.
UK WEATHER FORECAST
SUNRISE 07:35
SUNSET 17:00
TODAY
Scotland and the far north of England will have further rain and upland snow. After early mist and fog in places, much of the rest of the UK will be cloudy at times with showers, frequent in the west.
TONIGHT
Tonight, Scotland will be windy and cold with rain and hill snow in the east. Northern Ireland will see showers. Variable cloud across England and Wales with scattered showers, locally heavy.
TWEET
OLIVIA RODRIGO’S VOCAL RANGE IS SO POWERFUL YOU CAN SAY SHE’S FEELING EVERY WORD SHE’S SINGING. I’M IN TEARS. THIS IS BEAUTIFUL #OliviaOnFallon pic.twitter.com/gCje3UKqzi
— flor (@tayslivia) February 5, 2021
FROM WTX NEWS
https://wtxnews.com/2021/02/04/effy-stonem-and-the-enduring-appeal-skins/
https://wtxnews.com/2021/02/04/sia-sorry-autism-community-for-film-music/
RENAISSANCE
“I’m the king of the world!”
Covid-19: Pub closures ‘will waste 87 million pints of beer’
Up to 87 million pints of beer will be thrown away as a result of pub closures during Covid lockdowns around the UK, an industry body has calculated.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) called the waste – equivalent to £331m in sales – “heartbreaking”.
Chief executive Emma McClarkin urged the government to give publicans more help in the Budget, including extending the VAT cut for the hospitality sector.
The Treasury said keeping businesses going was its “priority”. – BBC News
Merkel says Germany past peak of second COVID wave
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that Germany is past the peak of its latest coronavirus wave but that before lifting restrictions she would wait for data on COVID variants.
In an interview with German broadcaster RTL, Merkel said Germans would have to “hold out a little longer” before vaccinations have an effect on hospitalisations.
“I can see a light shining at the end of the tunnel,” Merkel said while she warned against “false hopes.”
Germany has recorded 2.2 million cases of the virus and has reported nearly 60,000 deaths. – Euronews
Police, Security Forces Bracing for Trump Impeachment Trial
Security and police forces in and around Washington will be operating at what they describe as “a high-level of readiness” as the impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump gets underway next week, worried the event could serve as a flashpoint for American extremists still angry over the outcome of the presidential election.
Officials have been hesitant to share specifics about the intelligence, some of which has been described as disturbing chatter on social media platforms. But following the siege of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, which resulted in the deaths of five people, they have been public about not wanting to leave anything to chance. – VOA
Israel, a global leader in COVID-19 vaccinations, finds limits
When it comes to fighting the coronavirus, Israel is discovering the limits of vaccines.
The country famous for its high-tech prowess and spirit of innovation is home to the world’s speediest vaccination drive, fueled from the top by national pride and a deep longing to start “getting back to life,” as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it.
But experts say reopening the country will still take months, complicated by coronavirus mutations that have spread from Britain and South Africa, a refusal among some sectors to adhere to safety rules and wobbles in the pace of vaccinations of people under 60. – Arab News
‘If you’re innocent, don’t give up’: Parti Liyani hopes acquittal can inspire other migrant workers
After returning home to Indonesia, former domestic helper Parti Liyani said she hopes her acquittal can inspire other migrant workers who are facing legal problems to never give up if they are innocent.
Ms Parti, who worked for ex-Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong, was accused of stealing from her former employer’s family and initially convicted in 2019 but acquitted by the High Court of all theft charges last year. – CNA
Marjorie Taylor Greene: US House votes to punish Republican
The US House of Representatives has voted to expel a Republican congresswoman from two committees over incendiary remarks she made before being elected last November.
Marjorie Taylor Greene had promoted baseless conspiracy theories and showed support for violence against Democrats.
Before the vote, she said she regretted her views, which included claims that school shootings and 9/11 were staged. – BBC World
Business news
Brexit: 71 pages of paperwork for 1 lorry of fish – BBC Business
Amazon creates 1,000 apprenticeships across the UK – Sky Business
Robinhood lifts trading restrictions on all stocks, including GameStop – Reuters
‘Massive uncertainty’ over UK migration data amid pandemic – FT News
Sports News
Mourinho unhappy with referee as Chelsea continue fine start under Tuchel – Read on
Stefano Domenicali interview: New Formula 1 chief urges drivers to lead by example – Read on
India vs England LIVE! – Read on
Michael Coffie: New US heavyweight prospect vows to ‘go to England and bring the title back to the US!’ – Read on
Cultura
Trump quits US actors’ union, declaring: ‘You have done nothing for me’ – Read on
Emily In Paris writer ‘rages’ at I May Destroy You’s Golden Globes snub – Read on
The Crown’s Emma Corrin joins Harry Styles in LGBTQ+ romantic drama My Policeman – Read on
Jennifer Aniston sparks rumours she’s with Brad Pitt as fans say he’s in her selfie – Read on
YOUR QUESTIONS answered
what happened at the capitol?
On January 6, 2021, a mob of rioters supporting United States President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election stormed the U.S. Capitol, breaching security and occupying parts of the building for several hours.
After attending a rally organised by Trump, The hotel millionaire and former presidents thousands of his supporters marched down Pennsylvania Avenue before many stormed the United States Capitol in an effort to disrupt the electoral college vote count during a joint session of Congress and prevent the formalization of President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory.
After breaching police perimeters, they occupied, vandalized, and ransacked parts of the building for several hours. The insurrection led to the evacuation and lockdown of the Capitol building and five deaths. – Read on
what does brexit mean?
Brexit was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) at the end of 31 January 2020 CET.
To date, the UK is the first and only country formally to leave the EU, after 47 years of membership within the bloc, after having first joined its predecessor, the European Communities (EC), on 1 January 1973.
It continued to participate in the European Union Customs Union and European Single Market during a transition period that ended on 31 December 2020 at 23:00 GMT. – Read on
covid-19 meaning
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
It was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in January 2020 and a pandemic in March 2020.
As of 11 January 2021, more than 90.3 million cases have been confirmed, with more than 1.93 million deaths attributed to COVID-19.
coronavirus definition
Meaning of “coronavirus” and related terminology “coronavirus” means severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
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Get the latest NHS information and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19)
