Daily News Briefing
Brief. Me - December 28, 2025 1:02 pm
Covid vaccine offered to all care homes in England
BBC News says a Covid vaccine has been offered to residents at every eligible care home in England, the NHS has announced.
Boris Johnson described the achievement, expected to be confirmed by official figures on Monday, as a “crucial milestone”.
A target of 15 February has been set for the UK to vaccinate care home residents and carers, people over 70 and frontline care workers. On Saturday a record 598,389 first jabs were given across the UK.
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Captain Sir Tom Moore admitted to hospital with coronavirus
The Guardian says Captain Sir Tom Moore has tested positive for Covid-19 and has been admitted to hospital where he is being treated for pneumonia, his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore has said in a statement.
The 100-year-old, who raised millions of pounds for the NHS, was taken to Bedford hospital on Sunday, after being treated for pneumonia for some time and testing positive for Covid-19 last week.
In a statement posted on his Twitter page, Moore’s family said he had been treated at home until Sunday when he needed additional help with his breathing. The statement said he was being treated in a ward, not on the intensive care unit of the hospital.
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France & Germany threaten AstraZeneca with legal action if they favoured UK over EU when distributing Covid-19 vaccine
RT News says tensions in a row between AstraZeneca and the EU over vaccine shortages have heightened as Paris and Berlin said the company should face penalties or even legal action if it turns out it preferred Britons to Europeans.
“I am not saying that there is a problem but if there is a problem and that [they] have favoured other destinations, other countries – for example the UK – over us then we will defend our interests,” France’s Secretary of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune told the French Radio J on Sunday, adding that the company is now facing “serious accusations” and that is not something that Brussels treats “lightly.”
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Military coup in Myanmar as elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi is detained
France24 says Myanmar’s military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other leaders of her party in early morning raids.
The army said it had carried out the detentions in response to “election fraud”, handing power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for one year, according to a statement on a military-owned television station.
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Egypt to launch satellite at end of 2021
Arab News says the head of the Egyptian Space Agency has said that Egypt is preparing to launch a satellite in December 2021, in addition to other projects to establish space science in the country.
He said that Egypt had an ambitious plan to build space systems and infrastructure, as well as strengthen international space relations, explore space and establish Egyptian space law, according to the Al-Youm Al-Sabea newspaper.
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More Brazil protests against Bolsonaro’s COVID-19 response
Aljazeera says protesters in Brazil rallied for the second straight weekend in multiple cities to demand the resignation of President Jair Bolsonaro for his government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two hundred people protested on Sunday in Brasilia, the capital, holding signs and banners reading, “Bolsonaro Out” and “Impeachment Now”, while a procession of cars honked their horns in support. Other demonstrations were also held in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The protests, like larger ones held last weekend, were organised by leftist parties and groups.
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Suspected suicide car bomb targets hotel in Somali capital
TRT World says a suspected suicide car bomb has exploded in Somalia’s capital and was followed by a shootout between militants and security forces at a hotel, killing at least three people, witnesses and authorities said.
“So far three people, two of them civilians, and a security guard ware confirmed dead, but the death toll could be higher,” said Mohamed Dahir a senior official with the national security agency.
Six civilians were wounded in the attack, he added.
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Frustrations mount over vaccine shortages in New Orleans
VOA says the Louisiana Department of Health (LDOH) receives doses from the federal government and then is responsible for distributing them to qualified health care providers, including hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across the state. Those providers then administer the vaccines to patients.
“By far the biggest challenge is the small number of doses being made available to us [from the federal government],” said Mindy Faciane, public information officer for the LDOH. In Louisiana, there are 889,000 people in the tiers currently eligible to receive a COVID vaccine, which include health care workers and those at least 70 years old. As of Thursday, only 38% of that number had received their first vaccine dose, according to LDOH.
UK WEATHER FORECAST
SUNRISE 07:41
SUNSET 16:52
TODAY
Today will be cloudy and largely dry in southern areas. Further north it will be brighter, with a few showers in Scotland. Northern Ireland will see rain, spreading into southwest Scotland later.
TONIGHT
Tonight, a band of rain will push northeastwards across the UK, turning to sleet and snow across northern England and Scotland. Clear spells and a scattering of showers for northern Scotland.
Tweets
Wishing @captaintommoore well and a speedy recovery. If anyone can beat Covid, surely it's Sir Captain Tom https://t.co/19E0bQA6C0
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) January 31, 2021
Have a 𝒢𝑜𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓃 day, @Harry_Styles. 🌸 pic.twitter.com/W9zlXijEpM
— Capital (@CapitalOfficial) February 1, 2021
FROM WTX NEWS
https://wtxnews.com/2021/02/01/facebook-told-australian-government-wont-back-down/
https://wtxnews.com/2021/02/01/myanmar-military-takes-control-of-country-aung-san-suu-kyi-detained-myanmar-coup-latest/
RENAISSANCE
You don’t understand! I coulda had class
Nearly 33,000 people protest France’s global security law
Nearly 33,000 people demonstrated on Saturday against a global security law passed by France’s National Assembly late last year, according to the interior ministry.
There have been several massive protests against the law that would ban filming police for malicious reasons, but the demonstrations on Saturday were smaller than the rallies in November and December.
Organisers said 500,000 people gathered at the November 28 mobilisation while the government estimated there had been 133,000 people then. – Euronews
Bernie’s Mitten Maker Finds Manufacturer to Fill Order Deluge
A Vermont schoolteacher whose homemade mittens went viral after Senator Bernie Sanders wore them at President Joe Biden’s inauguration has found a manufacturer to fulfill the resulting thousands of orders for her cozy gloves.
“I have amazing news! I’m partnering with Vermont Teddy Bear to make Bernie’s Mittens for EVERYONE!!” Jennifer Ellis tweeted Saturday, adding that some of the proceeds would benefit the Make a Wish Vermont charity.
“I knew there had to be a way to get them to you — and I found it!!” the second-grade teacher said. – VOA
Dubai police encourage public to report COVID-19 violations
Dubai Police called on the general public of the United Arab Emirates to report COVID-19 violations as virus infections saw a surge over recent weeks.
Breaches can be reported through the Dubai Police Call Centre at 901 or via the ‘Police Eye’ service, state news agency WAM reported on Sunday.
“Everyone is responsible and is a partner in supporting the country’s efforts in strengthening precautionary measures through their commitment to the guidelines outlined by authorities,” Dubai Police said. – Arab News
US warns of response after military detains Myanmar officials
The United States on Monday (Feb 1) urged Myanmar’s military to release detained officials, including de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and warned of a response from Washington over the apparent coup.
“The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. – CNA
Groundbreaking biofuel rocket could be ‘Uber for space’
Snow swirled and a biting wind sent temperatures plummeting to several degrees below zero as the Stardust 1.0 made its debut at a former military base in Maine.
Strapped to a trailer and pulled by a pick-up truck along a runway once used by B-52 bombers in the Cold War, it wasn’t the most glamorous entrance for a rocket about to make history.
And it very nearly didn’t as the subzero conditions played havoc with the electronics and clouds moved in. – BBC News
Business news
Silver surges as Reddit army turns to commodities – BBC Business
School closures pose big risk to earnings and tax revenue – FT News
COVID-19: NHS Test and Trace ‘unaffected’ by cyber attack at Serco, firm says – Sky Business
As Google eyes Australia exit, Microsoft talks Bing with PM – Reuters
Sports News
Cultura
Music festivals and Covid: Could some events still go ahead this year? – Read on
Why are so many huge stars suddenly selling their music rights? – Read on
Sir Rod Stewart reaches plea deal over Florida hotel assault claim – Read on
Kanye West ‘does not’ want kids raised in ‘fake’ LA amid Kim Kardashian ‘divorce’ drama – 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 organized by Trump, 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)