Otherworldly light pillars appear in Russia

Magnificent pillars of light, the result of a natural phenomenon, shot up to the heavens in Tyumen, Russia on Tuesday.

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  • The 32 areas of England where new COVID cases are still increasing

    COVID-19 cases are going up in areas like Preston, Redditch, West Devon and Coventry, according to the latest data.

  • Biden on collision course with Saudi Arabia that could upset Trump's alliance against Iran

    The Biden administration has already set itself on a collision course with Saudi Arabia after its director of National Intelligence vowed to declassify a report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The push to release the intelligence community’s assessment of the murder of the dissident journalist, which is believed to implicate Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has the potential to trigger a major fallout with the kingdom. Avril Haines, who was confirmed in her new role on Thursday, told Congress “we will follow the law” regarding the report, referring to the Trump administration’s refusal to release the full version for US House representatives. The CIA is said to have concluded with a high degree of confidence that Prince Mohammed, or MBS - a close ally of the previous government - ordered the Washington Post columnist’s assassination at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. However, its contents have not been made public. MBS, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, has denied he ordered the murder and the Trump administration publicly stood by him despite international condemnation.

  • AstraZeneca to cut Covid-19 vaccine delivery to EU by 60 per cent, in fresh blow to bloc

    AstraZeneca is to cut deliveries of its Covid-19 vaccine to the European Union by 60 per cent in the first quarter of the year due to production problems, in a blow to the bloc’s efforts to push back against the virus. The British firm was expected to deliver about 80 million doses to the 27 EU countries by the end of March, but now only 31 million will be delivered. The decrease will further hamper Europe's Covid-19 vaccination drive after Pfizer and partner BioNTech slowed supplies of their vaccine this week, saying the move was needed because of work to ramp up production. The UK will not be affected by the shortfall, insiders stressed, because the majority of doses, produced in conjunction with the University of Oxford, are manufactured in this country. A spokesman for AstraZeneca, said: “While there is no scheduled delay to the start of shipments of our vaccine should we receive approval in Europe, initial volumes will be lower than originally anticipated due to reduced yields at a manufacturing site within our European supply chain. “We will be supplying tens of millions of doses in February and March to the European Union, as we continue to ramp up production volumes.”

  • Texas doctor charged with stealing coronavirus vaccine

    The doctor’s attorney claims the vials would have expired if the doctor had not have taken them to distribute

  • Neighbours' Paul Keane explains why he won't return full-time as Des Clarke

    "I like the idea of popping back every now and again."

  • Scientist advising Government urges tougher lockdown

    Professor Susan Michie said current lockdown measures are ‘the problem’ and not people who aren’t sticking to the rules.

  • Congresswoman Lauren Boebert introduces bill to block Biden rejoining Paris Agreement

    ‘I work for the people of Pueblo, not the people of Paris,’ Rep Boebert tweeted. The climate agreement was so named because it was signed in the French capital - and not because it solely benefits the city’s residents

  • Warm up with this cozy image of a hot spot on Jupiter

    A new composite image of Jupiter's atmosphere shows a hot spot glowing brightly in infrared wavelengths.

  • Five new weather warnings for snow and ice overnight – Met Office

    Further heavy rainfall, which caused flooding in the wake of Storm Christoph, is not forecast until next Wednesday but low temperatures are expected.

  • Britain to discuss tighter travel restrictions - BBC

    British ministers are to discuss on Monday further tightening travel restrictions, the BBC reported on Saturday, adding that people arriving in the country could be required to quarantine in hotels. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a news conference on Friday that the UK may need to implement further measures to protect its borders from new variants of COVID-19. Britain's current restrictions ban most international travel while new rules introduced earlier in January require a negative coronavirus test before departure for most people arriving, as well as a period of quarantine.

  • The Masked Singer: Full list of odds for the celebrities behind each costume

    *Spoilers for the latest episode of The Masked Singer below*

  • Minister: Government following ‘clear advice’ over vaccines

    Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has insisted that the government is "following the very clear advice" from medical leaders when questioned on the decision administer the second Pfizer-BioNTech jab 12 weeks after the first.

  • Two serving police constables die with coronavirus, as federation calls for officers to be vaccinated

    Two serving police constables have died after testing positive for Covid-19, as the Police Federation pleads for officers to be vaccinated. Pc Michael Warren, a 37-year-old father-of-two who joined the Met in 2005, was classed as “vulnerable” and had been shielding at home, working remotely to help his team. He died on Tuesday after a positive Covid-19 test. Police Constable Abbasuddin Ahmed, 40, joined Greater Manchester Police in March 2017 and leaves behind his wife and two young children who are receiving Force support. PC Ahmed, who passed away on Thursday, has been described by his colleagues on the Stretford Response Team as 'the greatest brother in and out of work' and 'such a lovely man who was never seen without a smile on his face.' Officers also paid tribute to Abs' 'pride of being a police officer' adding: "Abs lived up his name meaning 'lion' - brave, loyal, a fighter, protective, and completely fearless. Abs will live in our hearts forever."

  • 'Coronation Street' actor Malcolm Hebden quietly retires from the cobbles

    The actor's character is alive and living in a care home in the soap.

  • Chaos of Trump's last days in office reverberates with fresh 'plot' report

    Chaos of Trump's last days in office reverberates with fresh 'plot' report. Ex-president, whose Senate trial will start in two weeks, reportedly planned to oust acting attorney general in bid to overturn election

  • Coronavirus: New variant up to 30% more deadly, Johnson warns as tighter border rules loom

    Between 21 December and 22 January, total of 28,580 deaths reported by government

  • Covid news - live: Scientists cast doubt on claim new UK variant is more deadly, as 5.8 million vaccinated

    Follow for the latest developments

  • Covid: Delaying second dose of vaccine increases risk of new resistant strain, Sage papers reveal

    Warning over ‘realistic possibility’ of resistant strains of the virus emerging

  • Hong Kong ordered into city's first Covid lockdown after outbreak

    Thousands of Hong Kongers were ordered to stay in their homes on Saturday for the city's first coronavirus lockdown as authorities battle an outbreak in one of its poorest and most densely packed districts. The order bans anyone inside multiple housing blocks within the neighbourhood of Jordan from leaving their apartment unless they can show a negative test. Officials said they planned to test everyone inside the designated zone within 48 hours "in order to achieve the goal of zero cases in the district". The South China Morning Post said the measures covered about 150 housing blocks and up to 9,000 people with hundreds of police on standby to enforce the lockdown. Hong Kong was one of the first places to be struck by the coronavirus after it burst out of central China.

  • No Pixie Dust, No Problem: Tinker Bell Rescued After Getting Stuck on Parade Float at Disney World

    Tinker Bell needed a little more than pixie dust to get down from her parade float at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, as maintenance staff extended a ladder to help her down.Footage taken by Manisha O’Donnell Williams in the Magic Kingdom section of the park shows the Peter Pan character receiving assistance with her climb down from her parade float. Williams said she took the video on January 18.Storyful contacted Disney World for comment but had not heard back by the time of publication. Credit: Manisha O’Donnell Williams via Storyful