Daily News Briefing
Brief. Me - December 14, 2025 12:24 am
Queen says Covid vaccine ‘didn’t hurt at all’
BBC News says the Queen has urged people to get a Covid vaccine when they are offered one, saying hers “didn’t hurt at all”.
In a video call with health leaders delivering the Covid vaccine across the UK, the Queen was asked about her experience of having the jab.
She smiled as she replied: “Well, as far as I can make out it was quite harmless.
“It was very quick, and I’ve had lots of letters from people who’ve been very surprised by how easy it was to get the vaccine.”
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Blair says collaboration on Covid could have cut three months off crisis
The Guardian says world leaders could have cut the length of the Covid outbreak by three months if they had collaborated on vaccines, testing and drugs, Tony Blair has claimed.
The former PM urged the UK to take the lead in developing a new “health security infrastructure” that would ensure countries coordinate better in identifying emerging new threats as well as developing, testing and manufacturing vaccines and treatments.
“Had there been global coordination a year ago, I think we could have shaved at least three months off this virus,” Blair told the Guardian in an interview.
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Paris ‘will propose’ a three-week city lockdown to curb COVID-19 spike
Euronews says Paris will propose a three-week city lockdown to the government in a bid to curb a recent spike in coronavirus infections.
The announcement comes as the French capital was placed under increased surveillance due to deteriorating coronavirus indicators, along with more than a dozen other regions.
French PM Jean Castex said earlier. additional measures, such as weekend lockdowns, could be implemented in Paris and 19 other regions if the situation continues to worsen.
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Collapse at illegal gold mine in Indonesia kills at least six workers
France24 says an illegal gold mine on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island collapsed on nearly two dozen people who were working inside, killing six and leaving one worker missing.
Survivors estimated 23 people were trapped in the rubble when the mine in Central Sulawesi province’s Parigi Moutong district collapsed due to unstable soil.
Rescuers were able to pull 16 people from the debris and recover the bodies of four women and two men during a gruelling search effort, he said.
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Oman extends COVID-19 safety measures, closes parks, beaches, leisure areas indefinitely
Arab News says Oman’s Committee supervising the country’s coronavirus response has extended indefinitely the closure of beaches, public parks and leisure spaces to curb the spread of the highly contagious disease.
It reiterated the ban on indoor gatherings in resthouses, farms and winter camps, citing the high risk of coronavirus transmission in closed spaces.
In the North A’Sharqiyah governorate, the Supreme Committee has extended the shortened business operating hours with commercial activities required to close from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m.
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US attacks ‘Iranian-backed military infrastructure’ in Syria
Aljazeera says the US military says it carried out attacks on facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran-backed militia, following recent rocket attacks on US troop locations in Iraq.
“At President Biden’s direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby in a statement.
“These strikes were authorised in response to recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in Iraq, and to ongoing threats to those personnel,” he said.
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Trump tax records turned over to New York prosecutors
VOA says millions of pages of Donald Trump’s tax returns and business documents have been turned over to New York prosecutors after he lost a 17-month effort to keep investigators from obtaining them.
The records, including the federal income tax returns Trump filed with the government’s Internal Revenue Service from 2011 to 2019, were handed over to New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. by Trump’s longtime accounting firm, Mazars, on Monday.
The handoff came hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the former president, who left office a month ago.
UK WEATHER FORECAST
SUNRISE 06:53
SUNSET 17:38
TODAY
England and Wales will see any mist and fog clear in the morning, leaving a dry day with lengthy sunshine. The north will be largely cloudy, but there will be sunny spells in any breaks in the cloud.
TONIGHT
Mostly dry with clear skies overnight for southern Britain. There is the chance of a few mist or fog patches. Northern Britain will see more cloud with showers overnight in the northwest.
Tweets
This picture of James Corden FaceTiming Meghan with Prince Harry at the back is my favourite thing on the internet pic.twitter.com/bLvvaZ3af2
— Myra (@SussexPrincess) February 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/lovtjn/status/1365183550417367045
FROM WTX NEWS
https://wtxnews.com/2021/02/25/goop-and-the-4-trillion-wellness-industry/
https://wtxnews.com/2021/02/25/10-luxury-property-features-outdoor-space/
RENAISSANCE
Elementary, my dear Watson
No pay rise for NHS workers in Sunak’s Budget — report
The chancellor is set to skip over any announcement on pay rises for NHS staff in his Budget next week, it has been reported.
Citing senior sources from the Treasury, i newspaper reports that Rishi Sunak will not make any decisions on salaries for health workers as he is awaiting the NHS Pay Review Body’s report in May.
Unions representing NHS staff, including nurses, junior doctors, paramedics, cleaners, and porters say this mean it could take months to make any decision on pay rises for workers. – The Independent
Russian opposition leader Navalny sent to prison outside Moscow
The Russina opposition leader Alexei Navalny, handed a two and a half year jail sentence, has been moved to a prison outside Moscow, his lawyer said.
Navalny’s incarceration has led to international calls for his immediate release, including from Europe’s top human rights court.
His lawyer, Vadim Kobzev, didn’t immediately say what prison he was sent to, but Russian news reports have previously indicated he would likely be sent to a facility in western Russia. – Euronews
Trump Supporters Want to ‘Blow Up’ Capitol, Police Chief Warns
Donald Trump supporters, who launched a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol last month, have indicated they want to “blow up” the building and kill members of Congress, the acting chief of the Capitol Police said Thursday.
Threats suggest extremists could target the building during an address by President Joe Biden, Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told lawmakers as she advocated for continued high security around the building.
“Members of militia groups that were present on January 6 have stated their desires that they want to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible with a direct nexus to the State of the Union,” Pittman told members of the House Appropriations Committee. – VOA
Israel vaccinates 50% of its population against COVID-19
Israel has administered at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose to 50 per cent of its 9.3 million population, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Friday.
Israel counts East Jerusalem Palestinians, who have been included in the vaccine campaign that began on Dec 19, as part of its population. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip are not part of the Israeli campaign. – Arab News
Myanmar’s civil servant strikes start to bite
Public hospitals are deserted. Government offices left dark. And trains do not leave the stations.
Despite risks to their lives and livelihoods, many Myanmar civil servants are refusing to work for the junta, as a growing civil disobedience movement seeks to thwart the generals by paralysing the bureaucracy. – CNA
Nigeria school attack: Hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped in Zamfara
Hundreds of schoolgirls have been kidnapped in the north-western state of Zamfara, the BBC has been told.
A teacher said that at least 300 learners were taken during the Friday morning attack.
A spokesman for the state’s governor has confirmed the attack but did not give details.
This is the latest mass abduction targeting schools in recent weeks. Armed gunmen often take schoolchildren for ransom. – BBC World
Business news
Pokémon at 25: Rare cards trade for big money – BBC Business
Twitter to let users charge monthly fee for exclusive content in new Super Follows feature – Sky Business
Banks weigh up home working – the new normal or an aberration? – Reuters
Sunak to unveil new business loan and scrap emergency schemes – FT News
Sports News
India v England: Joe Root says tourists ‘misread’ conditions in Ahmedabad – Read on
Arsenal: Has Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saved the Gunners’ season? – Read on
Rangers progress in Europa league thriller – Read on
Tiger Woods car crash: 10 questions on injuries, recovery and return of former world number one – Read on
Cultura
Lady Gaga’s dog-walker shot and bulldogs stolen – Read on
Britney Spears: Lawyer for her father Jamie breaks silence over conservatorship controversy – Read on
Emma Watson retires from acting 20 years after finding fame in Harry Potter – Read on
Beaming Kim Kardashian sends clear message on first night out since Kanye divorce filing – 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)