Daily News Briefing
Brief. Me - December 22, 2024 4:38 pm
Covid vaccine: PM to have AstraZeneca jab as he urges public to do the same
BBC News says Boris Johnson is to receive his first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine after reassuring the public it was “safe”.
The PM has urged people to get inoculated and said England’s roadmap out of lockdown was “on track”.
He said there was “no change” to the plan despite a drop in vaccine supply.
Several European countries are to resume using the AstraZeneca jab after the EMA confirmed it was “safe and effective”.
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Paris to enter four-week lockdown as France faces third Covid wave
The Guardian says France announces a month-long lockdown on Paris and parts of northern France after a faltering vaccine rollout and spread of highly contagious variants forced the president, to shift course.
Since late January, when he defied the calls of scientists and some in his government to lock down the country, Macron has said he would do whatever was needed to keep the economy as open as possible. However, this week he ran out of options just as France briefly suspended use of the Oxford/AstraZenca vaccine.
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Crackdown triggers exodus from Myanmar’s biggest city
France24 says roads out of Myanmar’s biggest city were choked Friday with people fleeing the junta’s deadly crackdown on anti-coup dissent, as neighbours Thailand said they were preparing for an influx of refugees.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, triggering a mass uprising that security forces have sought to crush with a campaign of violence and fear.
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‘Nothing else explains it’: Norwegian scientists say AstraZeneca DID cause blood clots, as British & Dutch experts dismiss theory
RT News says Norwegian scientists have linked the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots – a condition seen in some people that led countries around the world to halt its use. But British and Dutch medics say there’s no evidence for such a link.
“The cause of our patient’s condition has now been found,” Pal Andre Holme, said. He was referring to the cases of three health workers under the age of 50 who suffered from severe blood clotting after receiving the AstraZeneca jab. One of the medics then died on Monday.
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Dubai announces Ramadan COVID-19 precautionary measures
Arab News says Dubai has urged people not to hold large gatherings during Ramadan, as part of its measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Dubai also called on the public to avoid exposing the elderly and people with chronic diseases to coronavirus risks. Ramadan and donation tents are also prohibited in the city, the committee said, adding that Tarawih prayers can be performed in mosques on the condition that precautionary measures are applied.
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Love them or hate them, the Kardashians changed business forever
Aljazeera says in the final season of their show, the Kardashians remain modern-day marketing geniuses who changed how people watch, click and buy – and whose family milestones reflected broader cultural shifts
To say that the 20th and final season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, signals the end of an era is not only a cliche, it is plain inaccurate. KUWTK created an entire world anchored in social media – and in many ways, this era is only just taking off.
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China calls for end of Cold War mentality in US relations
TRT World says China has threatened “firm actions” against “US interference” and called for an end to the “Cold War mentality” stunting the rivals’ relationship.
“China is firmly opposed to US interference in China’s internal affairs,” Yang Jiechi said at the summit with Antony Blinken.
“We have expressed our staunch opposition to such interference, and we will take firm actions in response.” “What we need to do is to abandon the Cold War mentality, and the zero sum game approach” he added.
UK WEATHER FORECAST
SUNRISE 06:05
SUNSET 18:15
TODAY
Dry and calm for most areas today but rather cloudy, although there is a chance of patchy rain. Sunny spells over western and central Scotland and south-east Britain where it will also be breezy.
TONIGHT
A dry but cloudy night but with clear spells in central Scotland and the far south and south-east of England, where it will be chilliest. The far north of Scotland will see freshening westerly winds.
Tweets
“It’s a metaphor for an entire year of Covid incompetence”
Journalist Ian Hislop says it’s “a ridiculous amount of money” to spend £2.6 million on a briefing room while granting NHS workers a 1% pay rise. #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/3qcEbhjE63
FROM WTX NEWS
https://wtxnews.com/my-world/robert-long-anti-asian-8-atlanta-shootings/
https://wtxnews.com/entertainment/caroline-flack-her-life-and-death/
RENAISSANCE
Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore
The lowdown on the Papers
A look at how the papers are reporting on the Oxford/ AstraZeneca jab as the debate contines.
The jab is SAFE
“The jab is safe. The thing that isn’t safe is catching Covid,” Boris Johnson has urged the public to keep faith in the AstraZeneca vaccine. The paper adds GPs have reported that the clotting concerns have led to a 10% increase in no-shows at vaccine appointments – Daily Telegraph
The Daily Express and Daily Mail share similar headlines: both declaring that the AstraZeneca “jab is safe” and that there’ll be “no delay to freedom”. – Daily Mail
The Sun goes with the pun “Needle Glum Needle Glee!” – The Sun
“Huge frustration” among NHS staff running vaccination centres that ministers’ boasts about the rollout have put undue pressure on them to reach what they call their “moving” targets. – The Guardian
Warnins of public anger if Boris Johnson has “raised false hopes”. – Daily Mirror
Sturgeon under pressure
The Scotsman reports that pressure for her to resign “will likely now intensify” – The Scotsman
While the Daily Telegraph insists she’s “facing a fight for her political career”. – Daily Telegraph
But the Daily Record says “it is unclear whether the act was deemed a resignation-worthy offence”. – Daily Record
“Sturgeon in peril” is the i’s headline as it says Scotland’s first minister will face increased pressure to resign. It says she could face a no-confidence vote after the “damaging verdict” is published in a report next Tuesday. – i News
Imprisonment for Public Protection jail terms ‘a death sentence’
Karl Maroni, 33, has spent all his adult life in jail.
Aged 18 he committed three violent offences and was convicted.
He was told the minimum time he’d be in prison would be three and a half years.
But 16 years and 17 jails later he’s still there, “left to rot”, he says.
He’s never had a bank account, never owned a smartphone and never used social media. – BBC News
Norway, Sweden, Denmark wait before restarting AstraZeneca vaccinations
Norway, Sweden and Denmark will continue a pause on AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations despite the European Medicines Agency (EMA) conclusion that the vaccine is “safe and effective”.
All three countries said they were reviewing the EMA verdict that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh its risks.
Their decisions fly in the face of those of several other European nations. Italy, France, Germany and Spain said on Thursday they planned to restart AstraZeneca vaccinations following the EMA’s declaration.- Euronews
Atlanta Shooting Suspect Says Sex Addiction, Not Racial Hatred, Spurred Attack
Turkey detains 20 in raids targeting Kurdish militants
Mumbai logs most COVID-19 cases since start of pandemic
India’s wealthiest state Maharashtra and its capital Mumbai recorded on Friday (Mar 19) the most daily coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, stoking a new nationwide wave.
The Asian nation of 1.3 billion people was this month overtaken by Brazil as the country with the second most infections after cases dipped in December and January. – CNA
China sending children of exiled Uighur parents to orphanages, says Amnesty
China has forcibly separated Uighur families by taking young children into state orphanages, according to human rights group Amnesty International.
In a new report, Amnesty has called on China to release all Uighur children being held in orphanages without the consent of their families.
The charity spoke to parents who left children with relatives in China when they were forced to flee the country.
Rights groups say China has detained more than a million Uighurs. – BBC World
Business news
Young Goldman Sachs bankers ask for 80-hour week cap – BBC Business
‘Handwashing isn’t kept on top of’: McDonald’s facing new claims of COVID rules being broken – Read on
Hollywood real estate firm expands £350m east London film studio project – CityAm
Sports News
Cultura
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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