Daily News Briefing
Brief. Me - December 22, 2024 3:58 pm
A-level and GCSE results to be decided by teachers
BBC News says GCSEs and A-levels cancelled in England by the pandemic will be replaced by grades decided by teachers, the exams watchdog Ofqual has confirmed.
Schools can determine grades this summer by using a combination of mock exams, coursework and essays.
There will be optional assessments set by exam boards for all subjects, but they will not be taken in exam conditions nor decide final grades.
Results will be published earlier in August to allow time to appeal.
………………..
One of UK’s largest care home firms introduces ‘no jab, no job’ policy
The Guardian says one of the UK’s largest care home operators has instituted a no jab, no job policy for new staff amid ongoing concern about vaccine take-up among care workers.
A spokesperson for Care UK, which runs 120 homes and has seen more than two-thirds of its staff vaccinated, said: “Everyone applying for a role which requires them to go into a home will be expected to have been vaccinated before they start work.”
The move comes after Barchester, which operates more than 220 private care homes, said it would insist that current staff are vaccinated, warning that if they “refuse … on non-medical grounds [they] will, by reason of their own decision, make themselves unavailable for work”.
………………..
France’s Dunkirk set for weekend lockdown amid ‘alarming’ Covid-19 situation
France24 says Dunkirk will start enforcing a weekend lockdown from this weekend to halt a spike in Covid-19 infections, the Health Minister said.
He said the situation in the Dunkirk area was “alarming” and that France would also increase vaccine supplies for the area.
The announcement had been expected, after the infection rate in the area surpassed 900 for 100,000 people, close to nine times the national average.
………………..
Lebanon MPs who jumped vaccine queue defend their actions
Arab News says Lebanese lawmakers who allegedly jumped the queue and received the first shot of the coronavirus vaccine are feeling pressure to defend their actions.
Eleven politicians, some of them younger than 75 years old, even had their vaccines “delivered” to Parliament.
A spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the organization in charge of monitoring the country’s vaccination plan, “was unaware that President Michel Aoun, his wife and his work team had received the vaccine on Friday, which is a violation to the terms of the national plan.”
………………..
India plans new social media controls after face-off with Twitter
Aljazeera says India plans to oblige social media companies to erase contentious content fast and assist investigations, according to a draft regulation.
New Delhi’s planned Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code come as various nations around the world try to assert tighter control over powerful Big Tech firms.
In India, Twitter ignored orders to remove content over farmers’ protests, heightening the zeal of PM Narendra Modi’s government since 2018 to tighten regulation for content it deems disinformation or unlawful.
………………..
At least 2 dead after PNP, PDEA shoot at each other in bungled ‘buy-bust operation’
Rappler says after conducting a bungled “buy-bust operation,” squads from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) engaged in a firefight near the Ever Gotesco mall in Quezon City.
The incident marks the first shootout between the PNP and PDEA – the faces of President Rodrigo Duterte’s landmark campaign against illegal drugs.
According to a sketchy report from the Batasan police station, a team of agents conducted a buy-bust operation at around 5:45 pm at the parking lot of McDonald’s beside the popular mall.
………………..
New coronavirus variant found in New York City
TRT World says a new coronavirus variant that shares some similarities with a more transmissible and intractable variant discovered in South Africa is on the rise in New York City.
The new variant, known as B.1.526, was first identified in samples collected in New York City in November, and by mid-February represented about 12 per cent of cases and is spreading fast, researchers at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, said on Thursday.
The variant was also described in research published online this week by the California Institute of Technology.
UK WEATHER FORECAST
SUNRISE 06:54
SUNSET 17:36
TODAY
Today, much of England and Wales will be largely dry with sunny spells, but it will be cloudy with patchy rain in the southeast. Northern Ireland and Scotland will be breezy with scattered showers.
TONIGHT
Cloud and rain will clear the southeast this evening leaving much of England and Wales dry overnight with clear skies. Northern Britain will see patchy cloud with showers in northwest Scotland.
TWEETS
Wolf Alice https://t.co/lxAjWnmmkQ
https://twitter.com/Kappa_Kappa/status/1364741189371498498
FROM WTX NEWS
https://wtxnews.com/2021/02/23/life-after-covid-19-lockdowns-restrictions/
https://wtxnews.com/2021/02/24/10-luxury-property-features-amenities/
RENAISSANCE
My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates
Flames climbed Grenfell cladding twice as quickly as expected due to ‘typo’ in safety test
Flames climbed insulation used on Grenfell Tower in twice the time stated in a report due to a typo made in 2005, an inquiry has heard.
The “typographical error” meant a document issued by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) stated it took 10 minutes for flames to climb four metres up Kingspan’s Kootherm K15 product, but it actually only took five minutes.
The product was one of the types of insulation used in the tower’s cladding system. – The Independent
EU criticises Poland’s abortion ban as it reminds member states to ‘respect fundamental rights’
An EU equality official has criticised the Polish government’s decision to ban almost all circumstances of abortion – a decision that has also sparked the country’s biggest protests in its post-communist era.
Helena Dalli, a Maltese politician serving as equality commissioner, reminded a European Parliament hearing on Wednesday that member states “must respect fundamental rights.”
“As you are well aware, the EU has no competence on abortion rights within a member state and thus, abortion legislation is up to the member states concerned,” Dalli said. “However, when making use of the competences, member states must respect fundamental rights which bind them by virtue of the constitutions and commitments under international law. – Euronews
Official: Police were unsure about using force against Capitol rioters
Police officers who defended the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection did not properly lock down the building and were unsure of the rules for using deadly force against the rioters, according to the acting chief of the Capitol Police.
In a statement submitted for a House hearing on Thursday, Yogananda Pittman provides new details about the law enforcement response to the Capitol riot and the problems that hobbled the police’s response.
The statement fills in crucial new details as lawmakers begin investigating what went wrong the day of the attack. – TRT World
COVID-19 precaution: Jordan limits number of workers in government offices
Jordan’s prime minister instructed all ministries, government and public institutions to operate at 30 per cent capacity only, state news agency Petra reported.
The new rule will be implemented as of Sunday, February 28 in order to curb the spread of coronavirus, the report added.
Institutions that require more workers to function properly will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity. – Arab News
Rescuers hunt for survivors after Indonesia landslide
Rescue teams in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province searched for survivors on Thursday (Feb 25) after a landslide in an illegal gold mining area killed at least three people, with more feared dead, disaster officials said.
Teams comprised of police, military and the local disaster agency deployed heavy machinery to help the search, with at least 15 survivors found as of Thursday, according to the provincial disaster agency. – CNA
Australia passes law to make Google and Facebook pay for news
Australia has passed a world-first law aimed at making Google and Facebook pay for news content on their platforms.
The news code legislation had been fiercely opposed by the US tech giants.
Last week Facebook blocked all news content to Australians over the row, but reversed its decision this week after negotiations with the government.
Following those talks, the law passed with new amendments which make it possible for Facebook and Google not to be subject to the code. – BBC World
Business news
Goldman Sachs: Bank boss rejects work from home as the ‘new normal’ – BBC Business
Heathrow issues plea for budget aid as it dives to £2bn loss – Sky Business
United 777 plane flew fewer than half the flights allowed between checks: sources – Reuters
Sunak to choose northern base for new Treasury HQ – FT News
Sports News
India v England: Michael Vaughan says tourists ‘batted like rabbits in headlights’ – Read on
Celtic: Neil Lennon’s successes will live on once anger over the ending subsides – Read on
Tiger Woods crash: ‘We should just be grateful he is here’ – Rory McIlroy – Read on
Dominant Man City in control of Champions League last-16 tie with 19th win in a row – Read on
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)
……………..
Get the latest NHS information and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19)
