COVID-19: Police to target illegal parties and music events breaking lockdown rules

Large indoor parties and unlicensed music events will be targeted by police in England and Wales in the weeks ahead, as the country comes out of lockdown.

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  • Swedish region declares 'personal lockdown' as country suffers Europe's highest rate of new covid-19 cases

    One of Sweden's most populous regions has declared a "personal lockdown", as the country reported the highest daily rate of daily coronavirus cases in Europe, and more being treated in intensive care for the virus than at its second wave peak. In posters and an online campaign, the region centred on Uppsala, Sweden's fourth biggest city, called on everyone to "consider all human contacts as a potential risk" and avoid contact with anyone they do not live with, in the closest the country has come to a lockdown since the pandemic began. "We are reaching the point of the maximum capacity of what we can handle," Mikael Köhler, the region's health chief told Sweden's TT newswire. "It seems like the British variant has taken over and there's evidence that people are spreading the disease before they have any symptoms." Sweden on Tuesday had the highest rate of new coronavirus cases in Europe, with a seven-day average of 587 new infections per million people on Monday, more than France on 556 and Poland on 540, according to the latest figures on Our World in Data.

  • Prince Philip funeral: Duke's respect for Navy fliers to feature in adapted hymn

    The hymn Eternal Father, Strong To Save will feature in the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral on Saturday, with the possible addition of a little-known extra verse at his request. Better known as "For Those in Peril on the Sea" after the last line, the usually four-verse hymn is considered especially poignant by military sailors. Rarely heard outside military circles, however, are two verses written specifically for aviators. They are inserted between the second and third verses. The additional words are understood to feature occasionally at Fleet Air Arm funerals, the aviation branch of the Royal Navy. One such was sung at the funeral of the man who taught the Duke to fly, while he was a Royal Navy officer. Unexpectedly turning up to the funeral many years ago, the Duke further surprised the congregation by singing, along with just a couple of other attendees, the unfamiliar words, which are not included in standard hymn books.

  • Nicola Sturgeon 'should thank Boris Johnson for refusing to sign up to EU vaccine scheme'

    Nicola Sturgeon should thank Boris Johnson for ignoring SNP demands to sign up to the EU's disastrous vaccine programme when she gets her first Covid jab on Thursday, the Scottish Tory leader has said. Douglas Ross said the First Minister would have faced a much longer wait to be vaccinated if Mr Johnson had heeded her party's demands for the UK to join the European scheme last year. The SNP confirmed that Ms Sturgeon, 50, is scheduled to receive her first jab after she launches her party's election manifesto on Thursday morning. A spokesman said: "These remarks from Douglas Ross are utterly pathetic but entirely in keeping with his petulant, puerile tone." A series of Ms Sturgeon's ministers demanded that the UK sign up to the EU's vaccine procurement plan last year and expressed outrage when Mr Johnson refused. Mike Russell, the Constitution Secretary, warned at the time: "This idiotic refusal is all about Brexit and nothing to do with the pandemic. It will cost lives." The decision was publicly opposed by a series of SNP MPs.

  • Do the Russians want a war? Tanks, guns, and a new military camp on Ukraine’s doorstep

    Oliver Carroll travelled towards the Russian-Ukrainian border to assess claims Moscow is readying itself for a major surge in fighting

  • Covid-19 rates drop below 100 per 100,000 in all local areas of UK

    The last time the entire country recorded rates below 100 was at the start of September.

  • Butcher overturns £20,000 in parking fines after proving yellow lines were in wrong place

    Gareth Sell, 36, won a two-year battle to overturn more than 50 tickets.

  • Royal family release unseen pictures of Duke of Edinburgh surrounded by great-grandchildren

    Until now it had remained a cherished family photograph unseen by the rest of the world. Showing the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh surrounded by seven of their great-grandchildren at Balmoral Castle, the precious image had been kept under wraps for four years. Yet Prince Philip’s death on Friday last night prompted the 94-year-old monarch to open the treasured royal family album in loving memory of a beloved patriarch. The image, taken by the Duchess of Cambridge in 2018, shows the Queen holding baby Prince Louis in her arms as she sits between his brother Prince George, now seven, and sister Princess Charlotte, five. Peter Phillips’s daughter Savannah, 10, their eldest great-grandchild, stands behind the couple as her younger sister Isla, nine, cradles their cousin Lena, two, the daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, whose eldest Mia, seven, flanks them, seemingly stifling a giggle. Telling a thousand words about the Queen and the Duke’s close bond with the youngest members of the House of Windsor, the image captures the relaxed mood as the children visited Great Granny and Grandpa in Scotland that summer.

  • Cancer patient saw disease all but vanish after catching Covid

    Covid may have caused a cancer patient's tumours to vanish, according to doctors, who said it could have sparked an "anti-tumour immune response" in the man. The 61-year-old patient at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro had a check-up last summer after being diagnosed with Hogkin's Lymphoma, a rare blood cancer that affects 2,100 people in the UK each year. The disease, which occurs when white blood cells get out of control and spread to the lymph nodes, is typically treated with chemotherapy and around 90 per cent of patients are still alive five years afterwards. Days after being told his chest was riddled with tumours and before starting treatment, the man was admitted to hospital after developing severe Covid. After making a full recovery, he had another scan and discovered the cancer had almost completely disappeared. Sudden remission with Hogkin's Lymphoma is possible but is extremely rare. Just a couple of dozen similar cases have ever been recorded worldwide. The case was revealed in the British Journal of Haematology. Dr Sarah Challoner, of the Royal Cornwall Hospital, said: "We think Covid-19 triggered an anti-tumour immune response." Dr Challoner added that the medical team believed T-cells, which fight infections in the body, may have also attacked cancer cells and led to the remission. However, other clinicians warned against making early assumptions about the cause of the recovery. Martin Ledwick, Cancer Research UK's head cancer information nurse, said: "At this stage it's too early to draw any conclusions from these cases – it's quite possibly a coincidence. "Anyone undergoing cancer treatment should continue to follow the advice of their doctors, as well as protecting themselves from catching Covid-19, and we encourage all who can to take up the vaccine." A report in the Italian medical journal Acta Biomedica, published last year, highlighted a similar case at Cremona Hospital in Italy.

  • Rate of people with Covid antibodies ‘levels off’ across most of UK

    ‘Clear pattern’ between Covid vaccinations and antibody positivity across UK, says Office for National Statistics

  • EU backs Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, will not renew AstraZeneca, J&J contracts

    The European Union has announced plans for a massive contract extension for Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine, saying the bloc had chosen to stick with companies that had shown their value during the pandemic. The EU will not renew vaccine contracts with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson after their expiry, according to reports. “We need to focus on technologies that have proven their worth,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She also announced that America's Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech would provide the EU with an extra 50 million doses in the 2nd quarter of this year, making up for faltering deliveries of AstraZeneca.Von der Leyen said Pfizer-BioNTech “has proven to be a reliable partner. It has delivered on its commitments, and it is responsive to our needs. This is to the immediate benefit of EU citizens.”In a stinging rebuke to AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, the EU Commission will not renew its Covid vaccine contracts with the Anglo-Swedish and US pharma giants, Italian daily La Stampa reported, citing a source from the Italian health ministry.“The European Commission, in agreement with the leaders of many (EU) countries, has decided that the contracts with the companies that produce (viral vector) vaccines that are valid for the current year will not be renewed at their expiry,” the newspaper reported, adding that Brussels would rather focus on RNA (mRNA) technology used by Pfizer and Moderna.A spokesman for the EU Commission said the block was keeping all options open to be prepared for the next stages of the pandemic. "We cannot, however, comment on contractual issues," he added.Denmark terminates AstraZenecaExacerbating problems for AstraZeneca, Denmark decided Wednesday not to renew its use of the jab – an EU first – after putting it on hold last month following reports of rare blood clots in some recipients. The bulk of the shots given in the Scandinavian country so far have been the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.AstraZeneca was supposed to be the workhorse of the EU's vaccine drive this year – a cheap and easy-to-transport shot to break the pandemic's back. Yet, the EU said that out of 120 million doses promised for the 1st quarter, only 30 million were delivered, and, of the 180 million expected, now there are only 70 million set for delivery in the 2nd quarter. The J&J jab, which uses the same base technology as AstraZeneca, hit a snag this week when US regulators recommended a “pause” in administering the single-dose vaccine. Deliveries in the EU have been suspended. 'Very serious side effects'Commenting on the AstraZeneca and J&J concerns, Member of European Parliament Peter Liese said: "The side effects are very serious and I support the decision of many member states not to vaccinate AstraZeneca to younger people for the time being."I hope that the side effects of Johnson & Johnson will be clarified quickly by the American FDA and that targeted recommendations can then be made for whom this vaccine can and cannot be used."In France, Pfizer currently supplies most of the vaccines. According to the website Covidtracker.fr, which monitors the latest developments regarding the pandemic, 11 million French (of a total 67 million) have received their first vaccine, while 3.8 million have had their second jab.Over two-thirds of the 20 million doses obtained by French health services were supplied by Pfizer/BioNTech, less than a third by AstraZeneca and a small part by Moderna.(with AP, Reuters)

  • A gold nose pin, boxes of eggs, or a tax rebate: Covid vaccine incentives around the world

    A gold nose pin, boxes of eggs, or a tax rebate: Covid vaccine incentives around the worldMembers of the public are being offered gifts and discounts to encourage vaccine take-upSee all our coronavirus coverage A man receives a dose of Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine in Dhaka Photograph: Suvra Kanti Das/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock

  • Covid crisis leads to ‘sharp rise’ in black youth unemployment

    The UK jobless rate for young black people rose by more than a third to 35 per cent during the pandemic

  • Truck driver jailed for 22 years for killing four police officers in Melbourne crash

    A truck driver who was under the influence of drugs and sleep deprived when he drove into four police officers has been sentenced to 22 years in prison. The traffic officers - three policemen and a policewoman - had pulled over a speeding car when Mohinder Singh ploughed into them. Officers Lynette Taylor, Kevin King, Glen Humphris and Joshua Prestney all died at the scene.

  • Countdown's Rachel Riley announces second pregnancy with cryptic clue

    The 35-year-old TV presenter used a 'Countdown' conundrum to reveal her happy news.

  • UK asks for more time to respond to EU Brexit legal action - RTE TV

    DUBLIN (Reuters) -Britain has asked for more time to respond to legal action taken by the European Union over its unilateral decision to ease requirements of the Northern Ireland Protocol, Ireland's RTE television reported on Wednesday. The European Union launched legal action against Britain last month for unilaterally changing trading arrangements for Northern Ireland that Brussels says breach the Brexit divorce deal agreed with London last year. Brussels gave London, which has said it has not violated the agreement, a month to respond to the legal action, but the British government has requested an extension of one month, RTE reported.

  • EU Commission to end AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine contracts at expiry - paper

    The EU Commission has decided not to renew COVID-19 vaccine contracts next year with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Italian daily La Stampa reported on Wednesday, citing a source from the Italian health ministry. "The European Commission, in agreement with the leaders of many (EU) countries, has decided that the contracts with the companies that produce (viral vector) vaccines that are valid for the current year will not be renewed at their expiry," the newspaper reported. A spokesman for the EU Commission said it was keeping all options open to be prepared for the next stages of the pandemic, for 2022 and beyond.

  • Ex-Hollyoaks star Danny Mac "so excited" to welcome first child with Carley Stenson

    "We're just getting on with it the best we can."

  • Burkina Faso ex-president Compaoré to be tried for Thomas Sankara's 1987 murder

    In Burkina Faso, judges have ruled that exiled former president Blaise Compaoré must stand trial for his role in the assassination of Thomas Sankara, whom he overthrew in a coup d'état in 1987. Also, a Tuareg leader in Mali has been shot dead in the capital Bamako. Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati was a key figure in a 2015 peace accord. And in a major step forward for the protection of women and children in Gabon, customary marriages are finally recognised by the state.

  • Moderna says vaccine targeting Covid South African variant ‘promising’

    Moderna’s early trials of a vaccine targeting the South African Covid variant has produced antibodies in mice, raising hopes of its effectiveness for humans. The company is the first to produce a vaccine designed specifically for the variant and last night said its pre-clinical trials for both jabs “improved neutralising titers”, meaning that antibodies detected in the blood increased. Moderna is also developing a multivalent vaccine that combines its original vaccination with the South Africa-specific jab, which the firm says will provide the broadest level of immunity, The Times reported.

  • J&J vaccine news: Pfizer can deliver 10% more shots amid concern ‘blood clot’ pause could impact rollout

    Follow the latest updates