Ted Cruz: Texas senator flies to Mexico while US state battles winter storm

Texas senator Ted Cruz flew to Mexico with his family while the state he represents deals with power outages and water supply issues due to freezing temperatures.

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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

  • 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.

  • 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."

  • ‘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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Free 'click and collect' Covid-19 tests for families sending children back to school

    Families sending their children back to school on March 8 will be able to order free "click and collect" coronavirus tests every week, the Government announced on Sunday. Two rapid Covid-19 tests per person will be offered to households, childcare and support bubbles of primary, secondary and college-age children, as well as school bus drivers and after-school club leaders. Testing kits will be available to order online and collect from March 1 from more than 500 locations across the country, and can then be taken at home. Asymptomatic testing is part of the government's strategy to get children back into classrooms without creating a surge in infections. Around a third of people with Covid-19 show no symptoms and could be unaware they are spreading it. The rapid tests deliver a result in less than 30 minutes. Any positive cases will be required to take another test, called a PCR, to confirm the result - either at home or a testing site. It is hoped that carrying out frequent tests will root out any positive cases which could cause rapid transmission of the virus in homes and educational settings - potentially throwing Prime Minister Boris Johnson's cautious roadmap off course. Writing in The Telegraph, Dr Susan Hopkins, Covid-19 Strategic Response Director to Public Health England and Chief Medical Adviser to NHS Test and Trace, urged families to accept tests if they are offered them. "More rapid testing for the school community will mean more positive cases within households are found and prevented from entering schools and colleges," she said. "Getting into the habit of regular testing as part of our everyday lives will play an important role as restrictions are lifted and we begin to get back to more normal ways of life." Primary school children will not be regularly asymptomatically tested due to low levels of transmission between younger aged children but will continue to need to come forward for tests if they have symptoms. Secondary school and college students will receive three initial tests when they first return to school or college. They will then be provided with two rapid tests to use at home each week. Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, said twice weekly testing provides "another layer of reassurance to parents and education staff that schools are as safe as possible". Prof Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England, said the quick and painless rapid tests will break chains of transmission and help save lives. All primary and secondary schools have been closed since Jan 5 following the introduction of a third national lockdown in England, and have since offered remote learning for students. Only vulnerable children and children of key workers are currently allowed to attend schools for face-to-face learning. Mr Johnson's optimism on school reopening is built on the success of the vaccination programme, as more than 19 million people have now received the first dose of the vaccine in the UK. Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said: “Regular testing of households and childcare support bubbles of primary and secondary school children is another tool we are making available to help keep schools safe. We know that one in three people with Covid-19 don’t have any symptoms, so targeted, regular testing will mean more positive cases are kept out of schools and colleges. “As we continue to roll out the vaccine, testing offers us a way forward. Sustained and repeated testing for people without symptoms has a critical role to play as sections of society are reopened by driving down transmission rates “By everyone playing their part and getting tested regularly, vital public services, workplaces and educational settings can stay open and running, and we can move closer to a more normal way of life.”

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 'When the internet goes down the night raids start': Inside the deadly phenomenon of web shutdowns

    Late in a December evening Masrat Jan, a 40 year old mother of four from the village of Sangria Barzol in Indian-administered Kashmir, developed sudden chest pain and begged her husband to get her to hospital. Her family rushed her to the nearest hospital. But because it had no cardiac specialists, she was referred to another facility more than another hour’s drive away. She died there five minutes after arrival - a collateral victim, doctors explained, of a draconian security environment. “The Doctors told us if there was an Internet, they could have contacted the cardiologists in Srinagar and stabilized her,” her father, Gul Mohammad Shah, told the Telegraph. “She would have survived had there been an internet service available.” India’s government shutdown internet, mobile phone and landline services in Kashmir before stripping the region of its partial autonomy on August 5, 2019, saying it wanted to stave off civilian protests.

  • 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.