Daily News Briefing
Brief. Me - December 22, 2024 12:27 pm
Covid: Travellers to UK set to be tested after arrival
BBC News says travellers entering the UK are set to be tested for coronavirus a few days after they arrive.
The new, expanded testing regime will be announced shortly.
Enhancing the testing regime “to cover all arrivals while they isolate” would add another level of protection, the Department of Health said.
The move is designed to help to track any new cases which might be brought into the country and make it easier to detect new variants.
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Return to Covid tiers ‘could plunge millions in England into crisis’
The Guardian says millions of people face emotional and financial crisis if England returns to a tiered system of restrictions after lockdown, the British Red Cross has warned.
The charity polled more than 2,000 people between October and December last year to look at the impact of the tiered system on their finances and mental wellbeing. It found that support for the most vulnerable, which had been available during lockdown, was lost once the tier system was introduced, sparking widespread problems.
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Severe floods strike southwest France, Paris area on flood alert
France24 says Southwestern France was hit by heavy flooding following days of torrential rain, and several other regions including eastern Paris were on flood alert ahead of a cold snap expected later this week.
Hundreds of people were evacuated as water seeping into cellars knocked out power supplies. Local authorities laid beams on cinder blocks so residents could walk from flooded houses to dry land.
“We knew this was in a flood zone, but not that the area could flood up to this point, otherwise we would never have taken this flat,” said Saintes resident Cyril Cheransac.
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Dubai rolls out COVID-19 vaccines to public transport workers
Arab News says Dubai has begun the mass vaccination of public transport workers, aiming to remain open to international tourism despite a surge in cases.
The UAE has a population of nearly 10 million and has administered 4.4 million doses — one of the best vaccination rates per capita in the world, and second to Israel.
The UAE has recorded 930 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, after an additional nine deaths were reported in the previous 24 hours.
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Kashmiri man demanding son’s body, charged under anti-terror law
Aljazeera says the family members of a teenage boy in Kashmir, killed in an alleged gunfight, have been charged under an anti-terror law for holding a demonstration in the village “demanding the return of his body”.
Ather Mushtaq, 16, from Bellow village in Pulwama, was among three men killed by Indian security forces on December 30 last year during what police described as a gunfight after the men refused to surrender on the outskirts of the main city of Srinagar.
Police said the men – 22-year-old Aijaz Ganai and Zubair Lone, 25, being the other two – were “hardcore associates of terrorists” opposed to Indian rule. But Ather’s father Mushtaq Ahmed Wani says his son’s killing was a cold-blooded “fake encounter”, a popular term used to explain extrajudicial killings by the security forces.
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Myanmar anti-coup protesters defy junta warnings
TRT World says anti-coup protesters have defied warnings from Myanmar’s generals to rally for a fourth straight day after the military imposed a ban on gatherings at flashpoint sites.
The military banned gatherings of more than five people in parts of Yangon and other areas across the country where major rallies had erupted.
Those rallies had seen hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets.
Myanmar police arrested at least 27 anti-coup demonstrators in Mandalay on Tuesday, including a journalist, media organisations said, as protesters defied bans on gatherings amid nationwide dissent against the junta.
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Trump’s Historic Second Impeachment Trial Starts Tuesday
VOA says the historic second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump starts Tuesday in the U.S. Senate, with Trump accused of inciting insurrection a month ago by urging his supporters to confront lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol as they were certifying Joe Biden had defeated Trump in the 2020 election.
The protest turned into mayhem, as about 800 supporters of Trump stormed past authorities into the Capitol, smashed doors and windows, ransacked some congressional offices and scuffled with police. Five people were left dead, including a Capitol Police officer whose death is under investigation as a homicide and a rioter shot by a police officer.
UK WEATHER FORECAST
SUNRISE 07:28
SUNSET 17:07
TODAY
Another cold day with the moderate easterly wind persisting. Eastern areas will see snow showers move in from the North Sea, which will be heavy in places. Further west will be drier with sunshine.
TONIGHT
Another cold night with a widespread frost developing. Snow showers will continue to push into eastern areas. Southwest England and the Channel Isles may see some sleet and snow this evening.
Tweets
I miss 2017 when the worst thing Armie Hammer ate was that peach.
Now THAT'S quite a statement#TrumpImpeachment https://t.co/wqa21Xfb2H
FROM WTX NEWS
https://wtxnews.com/2021/02/08/6-luxury-that-we-love-must-have-pieces/
https://wtxnews.com/2021/01/08/2008-bling-ring-kids-terrorised-hollywood/
RENAISSANCE
“Go ahead, make my day.”
Universal Credit: Extend £20 benefit top-up for a year, say MPs
The £20 weekly increase in Universal Credit must be extended for at least a year to avoid impoverishing hundreds of thousands of people, MPs have warned.
The measure, which has been called a lifeline for struggling families, is in place until the end of March.
The government has signalled it is looking at a range of options for support ahead of next month’s Budget. – BBC News
COVID-19: Ukraine set to launch coronavirus vaccination programme
European Union member states are being asked to donate some of their COVID-19 vaccines to Ukraine, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.
It comes as Ukraine launches its vaccination campaign with eight million vaccine doses from the COVAX programme, up to five million doses of the Chinese CoronaVac inoculation and 12 million of the AstraZeneca and Novavax jabs.
But with a country of around 40 million, it’s not enough and the Ukrainian President has called on the EU for help.
“We have agreed to supply Ukraine with Pfizer, Sinovac, AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines. The first stage of vaccination will begin this month,” announced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Our doctors, military and National Guard will receive the vaccine.” – Euronews
Trump lawyers blast impeachment trial as ‘political theatre’
Lawyers for Donald Trump have blasted the impeachment case against him as an act of “political theatre” and accused House Democrats on the eve of the former president’s trial of exploiting the chaos and trauma of last month’s Capitol riot for their party’s gain.
Trump’s legal brief is a wide-ranging attack on the House case, foreshadowing the claims his lawyers intend to present on the same Senate floor that was invaded by rioters on January 6. – TRT World
UAE’s Hope probe in final approach to Mars orbit
The UAE’s Hope probe was on its final approach towards Mars on Tuesday where it is due to enter the red planet’s orbit after six-month-long multimillion kilometre voyage into outer space.
And UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said while there was still a 50 per cent chance of failure, he remained confident of success. – Arab News
WHO team due to brief media on Wuhan findings
Members of a World Health Organization-led team looking for clues about the origins of COVID-19 will hold a briefing on Tuesday (Feb 9) after nearly a month of meetings and site visits in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the disease was first identified.
The WHO said the briefing was scheduled for 4pm local time (0800 GMT) on Tuesday afternoon, and would also include experts from the Chinese side who have been involved in the investigation. – CNA
Haiti: Explosion of kidnappings shows a country sliding into absolute anarchy
The impoverished country of Haiti – already an economic disaster zone with organised crime and kidnapping for ransom out of control – now finds itself in the midst of a constitutional crisis with violent confrontations between anti-government protesters and the police a daily occurrence. – Sky News
Business news
UK consumer spending slumps during latest lockdown – FT News
Robinhood: US family sue trading app over son’s suicide – BBC Business
COVID-19: ‘Too early to say’ whether Britons can make summer holiday plans – Sky Business
Honda posts 30% drop in nine-month operating profit – Reuters
Sports News
‘I’d give Bamford a go for England’ – striker scores 100th goal as Leeds beat Palace – Read on
Australian Open: Heather Watson beats Kristyna Pliskova to reach second round – Read on
Dave Egerton: Bath and England back row dies at age of 59 – Read on
James Anderson: England bowler produces one of the great overs against India in Chennai – Read on
Cultura
Naya Rivera’s Step Up character to be played by Christina Milian – Read on
Britney Spears’ boyfriend Sam Asghari’s powerful message of support after TV doc – Read on
JoJo Siwa shares loved-up snaps with girlfriend as they celebrate their anniversary – Read on
Rebel Wilson shows off her slimmed down figure as she parties on lavish private jet – 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)
