President Biden Signs Executive Orders Expanding Health Care Access
On Thursday, the president signed a series of health care-related executive orders, including taking action to rescind anti-abortion legislation
European Union leaders challenged Emmanuel Macron over his inaccurate claims that the AstraZeneca vaccine was “quasi-ineffectual”, it emerged on Wednesday. The French president said the jab did not appear to work on the over 65s in late January just hours before the EU’s medicines regulator approved it for use on all adults. A senior EU official revealed that Mr Macron was asked about his comments, which have been linked to a reluctance in some European countries to take the AstraZeneca jab. EU leaders have held regular video summits, including one on Thursday where they will call for coronavirus restrictions to continue, since the pandemic. “The point was raised by some leaders indeed. I cannot say who and when it was raised,” the official said. “There are in some countries some doubts and I think that the question was more to get clarification on if it was true or not and since then I think the commission has reacted to this."
Ex-president’s son is latest family member interviewed over alleged misuse of 2017 inaugural money
Nicola Sturgeon has backtracked over her controversial lockdown plan by conceding that parts of Scotland could move in April to a lower tier of restrictions that allows domestic travel and pubs to serve alcohol. The First Minister faced a barrage of criticism over her blueprint after stating that the entire mainland would initially move to Level 3 of her five-tier system when full lockdown formally ends on April 26. The beleaguered tourism and hospitality industries said many of their businesses would have to remain shut, with alcohol and travel outside council areas banned under the Level 3 restrictions that operated last year. Ms Sturgeon has conceded that parts or all of the country could instead speedily move to Level 2, which previously allowed restaurants and pubs to serve alcohol and open later. In a second about-turn, she said she hoped that travel restrictions within Scotland could be lifted from the end of April. The previous day she said they needed to continue "for some time yet" and her blueprint gave no indication of when they would be eased. Adopting a markedly more optimistic tone, after she was accused of failing to give people hope, she predicted that Scotland "could move to lower levels of restrictions fairly quickly over May and June."
"If you tell people they don’t believe it happens so often."
Parents of Gigi Morse, 6, say she seemed fine except for a few unusual ailments.
Summer holidays face a new threat after the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that Covid vaccinations should not be used to determine whether people can enter a country. The WHO said there were still "critical unknowns" about the efficacy of vaccinations in reducing transmission and preventing the virus even as governments work on vaccine certificates as a way to kickstart travel. It said that, as a result, national authorities, airlines and travel operators "should not introduce requirements of proof of Covid-19 vaccination for international travel as a condition for departure or entry". Vaccination should not exempt travellers from having to undergo other "travel risk-reduction measures", such as testing or quarantine, it added. Vaccination documents are seen as critical to enable holidaymakers to travel abroad this summer. In his roadmap out of lockdown, announced on Monday, Boris Johnson signalled that international travel could restart as early as May 17.
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“I just spat coffee in my cornflakes,’ one surprised viewer said
Nicola Sturgeon has launched an astonishing attack on Alex Salmond after she was accused of behaving like a “tin pot dictator” who risked bringing UK politics into worldwide disrepute. The First Minister accused her former mentor of inventing an “alternative reality” around claims of sexual assault and suggested it was his behaviour towards women, rather than a grand conspiracy, that were the "root" of the allegations against him. Ms Sturgeon was also forced to deny leaning on Scottish prosecutors to censor damning evidence put forward by Mr Salmond, following a fiasco that saw large chunks of his written testimony deleted. The episode over the written evidence, which saw Holyrood quickly back down to the Crown Office which is run by a member of Ms Sturgeon's government, has been seen as a major humiliation for the legislature.
Rishi Sunak must deliver a workers’ budget to ensure a post-Covid recoveryJob creation is vital, but the work must also be skilled, secure, well-paid and greenFrances O’Grady is general secretary of the TUC ‘The TUC set out a plan to create 1.24m jobs in the green infrastructure. These jobs would build new efficient homes.’ Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA
Schools face a huge logistical challenge
Vaccine distribution in the second phase should be decided by age because prioritising teaching or other occupations would slow down the rollout, a leading government adviser has said. Prof Anthony Harnden, the deputy chairman of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI), said there "isn't a strong scientific argument" to immunise teachers, telling MPs on the science and technology committee that workers in meat processing factories would have a better case to jump the queue. Prof Harnden said deviating from the age-based approach at all could lead to "harm" by slowing down the overall number of doses administered each day. The committee has submitted its recommendations to ministers, who are expected to make a final decision on the second stage of the rollout in the coming days. All adults aged 50 and above, as well as patients of all ages over 16 with underlying health conditions, are expected to have been offered a first vaccine dose by the end of April.
The couple had a visit from the police and have beefed up their home security.
A fire at a factory in Tuas, Singapore injured at least eight people on Wednesday (February 24). Flames ripped through the Platinum Pioneer building in Tuas shortly before midday. Several workers who had suffered from burns were taken to hospital. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said firemen used breathing apparatus to enter the factory and extinguish the fire coming from an industrial mixer. Officials said eight people were taken to hospital and 65 people from neighbouring buildings were evacuated. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Mr Biden pitched 100-day pause during campaign as part of rollback of Trump immigration policies
She said she wanted to fight for their relationship.
Northern Ireland's first minister upped the ante on Wednesday in a dispute between the UK and the European Union over trade with the province, calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to "step up and protect the United Kingdom". Earlier the UK and the EU held talks and agreed to press on with work to resolve the difficulties that have impeded deliveries of goods, notably food, from other parts of the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland and caused some shortages in supermarkets. The dispute, which was heightened when the EU involved Northern Ireland in a COVID-19 vaccine ban, has cast a shadow over a post-Brexit trade deal agreed late last year and threatens to further sour future ties between the neighbours.
Former first minister expected to answer questions at inquiry hearing on Friday
Corby, Peterborough and Leicester are recording the highest rates.
After weeks of speculation, Boris Johnson shared his road map out of England’s lockdown.Described as a “one-way road to freedom”, the lockdown will be eased in four stages, five weeks apart.If everything goes to plan, it means we can look forward to normality by the summer.Here are the key points of the four stages of leaving lockdown.