The bamboo dreamer

Meet the man who is creating eco-friendly toilet paper made from 100% bamboo. His name is Mr. Chen Qiang, managing director of WR Fibers BV, and he is working to bring this innovative idea to Europe.

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  • Rishi Sunak plots tax raid on parcels and freelance workers

    Rishi Sunak is plotting a new tax on online deliveries next month and a raid on the self-employed later this year, The Telegraph can reveal. The Chancellor will use Wednesday's Budget to announce a £5 billion fund to help high street pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops that have remained closed as a result of the Covid lockdown. On March 23 – dubbed "tax day" in Whitehall – he will then unveil a series of consultations on further tax increases to start paying for the £300 billion cost of dealing with the virus crisis. The Telegraph has learnt that this will include options to tax online retail more heavily, including the possibility of a new green tax on every internet delivery, alongside other online tax ideas. However, it is understood that he has turned his back on a mooted windfall tax on the "excess profits" of internet companies. Mr Sunak is also planning to use a Budget in the autumn to increase National Insurance Contributions paid by Britain's 4.5 million self-employed, arguing that they too benefited from state support in the pandemic. A Treasury source said: "The idea of an online sales tax is being looked at as part of the business rates review. "Responses to the consultation are being considered in the round, but the Chancellor is cognisant of the need to level up the playing field between the high street and online taxation."

  • People flock to parks and beaches to enjoy sunshine despite COVID warning

    People across the country enjoyed temperatures of up to 15C on Saturday.

  • Germany urged to follow Britain’s vaccine strategy as regulators look set to approve AstraZeneca for over 65s

    German scientists have urged Berlin to speed up vaccinations by following the UK’s example in delaying the second dose as German regulators look set to make a U-turn by approving the AstraZeneca jab for over 65s. A team of pandemic researchers believe delaying the second dose of the BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna vaccines beyond the current 28 days would speed up the process, provide greater protection for the population and result in “up to 10,000 or 15,000 fewer deaths” in Germany. The authors of the study, prepared by a team of pandemic researchers from Berlin’s Humbolt University and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, say delaying the second dose would also prevent vaccine mutations from continuing to gain traction. Berlin-based pandemic researcher Dirk Brockmann told Germany’s Deutsche Welle news service on Sunday that a change in strategy would boost the country’s lagging vaccination rollout. Delaying the second dose would double the speed of ongoing vaccinations as “you no longer just put the second dose back in the fridge and wait." “According to that data, there is complete protection against death from Covid in the risk groups after the first dose. That's a huge success,” said Prof Brockmann.

  • Johnny Briggs death: Coronation Street star who played Mike Baldwin dies aged 85

    Actor’s most famous character, Mike Baldwin, enjoyed a years-long feud with Ken Barlow

  • Climatologist Michael E Mann: 'Good people fall victim to doomism. I do too sometimes'

    Climatologist Michael E Mann: 'Good people fall victim to doomism. I do too sometimes'. The author and eminent climate scientist on the deniers’ new tactics and why positive change feels closer than it has done in 20 years

  • Ted Cruz’s CPAC speech mocked on SNL: ‘I just flew back from Cancun, but can you blame a brother for wanting some sun?’

    Aidy Bryant reprised her role as the Texas senator

  • COVID-19: 290 more UK deaths reported as 19.6m people have first vaccine

    The UK has reported another 290 coronavirus deaths and 7,434 new cases, while 19.6 million people have now had their first vaccine dose. The UK government has set the target of offering a first coronavirus vaccine to all adults in the UK by the end of the July. Yesterday at the Downing Street press conference, Health Secretary Matt Hancock defended the decision to base the rollout on age, and not prioritising certain professions like teachers and police officers.

  • Budget 2021: Sunak’s £5bn plan to rescue high streets from collapse

    Budget 2021: Sunak’s £5bn plan to rescue high streets from collapse. Grants will be offered to stricken shops and pubs but NHS fears its pleas for cash will be ignored

  • Court papers reveal reason for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West divorce

    Kim Kardashian West has cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason she is divorcing rapper Kanye West. The reality TV star filed divorce papers with an LA court that also confirmed she is seeking joint custody of their four children - North, seven, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and Psalm, one. The businesswoman has enlisted the services of lawyer Laura Wasser, who earned the title “disso queen” thanks to her work sorting out the divorces of high-profile celebrities.

  • Exclusive: Single-shot Covid vaccine could be weeks away as regulators start approval process

    A single-shot vaccine to combat Covid in Britain could be just weeks away, with regulators set to begin the approval process this week. Ministers are expecting the Johnson & Johnson jab – which has been authorised in the US for emergency use – to start formal regulatory approval in the coming days. The UK has ordered 30 million doses, the US 100 million and Canada 38 million. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which must carry out the checks for the UK, did not respond to a request for a comment. The development came as reports emerged that just one shot of the Pfizer or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine reduced the risk of being admitted to hospital by more than 90 per cent. Public health officials have briefed ministers on the new results, according to a report in The Mail on Sunday. Health sources said the jab, developed by Johnson & Johnson's vaccines division Janssen, was not yet being considered by the MHRA for formal approval – a process that normally takes less than two weeks, based on the timelines for Pfizer and Astra Zeneca's jabs. A senior Government source said the MHRA formal process was "very likely" to start this week. The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment. A department source said: "We are working with them to complete the rolling review process and we look forward to receiving more data from them as soon as possible."

  • Prince Harry and Meghan hunt for new UK mail address as Clarence House severs ties

    The joy of receiving a note from a member of the Royal Family, in response to a card or a letter, has long been keenly felt by well wishers from across the globe. But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now face a scramble to make new arrangements for their correspondence after the Prince of Wales withdrew his financial support for the mail service provided by his team at Clarence House. The couple’s decision not to return to the royal fold as working members of the family means that all professional ties will be severed from the end of next month. For practical reasons, that will include arrangements relating to their mail, the Sunday Telegraph understands, meaning that well wishers might have to start posting their cards to the US instead. The Correspondence Section at Clarence House, comprising around four members of staff, has traditionally handled the Sussexes’ mail, as well as that of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

  • ‘I’ve had my vaccine - how well will it protect me and for how long?’

    ‘I’ve had my vaccine - how well will it protect me and for how long?’. The latest answers to the important medical questions about the vaccines and the pandemic

  • Trump has captured the Republican party – and that's great news for Biden

    Trump has captured the Republican party – and that's great news for Biden. The Trump party is only interested in appealing to its base. Democrats in Washington have the public square to themselves

  • February full 'Snow Moon' rises over London Docklands

    A stunning clip shows the "Snow Moon" rising over London Docklands last night (February 27). Native American tribes in the United States call February's full moon the "Snow Moon" because of the heavy snowfall at this time of year.

  • Nearly two million people age 60 to 63 to be offered Covid vaccine

    Nearly two million people aged 60 to 63 in England are being invited to book a coronavirus jab as part of the continued expansion of the vaccine programme. NHS England said that the letters will start landing on doormats from Monday, explaining how people can make an appointment to get jabbed through the national booking service. They have been sent out after more than three in four people aged 65 to 70 took up the offer of a vaccination, it added. It comes as leaders from 60 of the UK's black majority churches joined forces on Sunday to show their support for the Covid-19 vaccine to their congregations. They will say they support the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine programme, and urge their congregations to seek out the facts about the vaccine from trusted sources. They will also say that they have either already been vaccinated or that they will get the vaccine when it is their turn. The alliance of Christian leaders, which includes Bishop of Dover the Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, said they felt compelled to act after data suggested black people are among those most likely to be hesitant about receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. Bishop Hudson-Wilkin said: "When you are offered the Covid vaccine, please take it. "This is our chance to show we care for ourselves and our neighbours. "Don't let misinformation rob you of your opportunity to protect yourself and others." This initiative has been organised by Christian umbrella organisations Churches Together in England, Evangelical Alliance and YourNeighbour.

  • Coronation Street star Johnny Briggs passes away aged 85

    He was best known for playing lothario Mike Baldwin.

  • Clean break: the risk of catching Covid from surfaces overblown, experts say

    Clean break: the risk of catching Covid from surfaces overblown, experts say. Prioritising eye protection and face masks will prevent the spread of coronavirus more than disinfecting surfaces, research shows

  • Germany and France set to give Oxford jab to over 65s after condemning it

    Germany and France could approve the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines for over 65s just days after Angela Merkel said she was too old to take the jab. Thomas Mertens, the head of Germany’s vaccine committee, revealed it would "very soon" update its recommendation on the jab.

  • Oprah with Meghan and Harry: masterstroke or disaster?

    Oprah with Meghan and Harry: masterstroke or disaster? . The Sussexes are the latest in a line of celebrities to try to rebuild their image by talking to the chatshow queen

  • Tories to lodge no-confidence vote in Swinney over Salmond legal advice

    Two votes have been held in Holyrood to call for the Scottish Government to release the advice.