Category Archives: UK news

Star Hobson verdict: mother’s girlfriend found guilty of murdering toddler

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Amateur boxer punched 16-month-old to death in Keighley, West Yorkshire, while mother found guilty of allowing the death

A “cunning and clever” woman has been found guilty of murdering her girlfriend’s toddler after being caught on CCTV “terrorising” the child when she was left to babysit.

Savannah Brockhill, 28, an amateur boxer and security guard who called herself the “number one psycho”, punched 16-month Star Hobson to death in Keighley, West Yorkshire, on 22 September 2020.

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As focus turns to Covid boosters what other measures could tackle Omicron

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Boris Johnson has not ruled out new restrictions but how effective could they be and what are the political risks

Ministers’ focus may be a “national mission” to roll out booster vaccines to counter the dramatic rise of the Omicron variant, but the government has not ruled out new restrictions for England. Here we look at options on the table, how effective they could be at reducing the spread of coronavirus and the level of political risk for Boris Johnson.

Mandatory isolation for all close Covid contacts

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Covid passports could increase vaccine uptake, study suggests

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Certification encouraged vaccination in countries with low coverage, especially among young people

Coronavirus passports could lead to increased uptake of vaccines, especially among young people, a study suggests.

Research by the University of Oxford found Covid-19 certification led to increased jab uptake 20 days before and 40 days after introduction in countries with lower-than-average vaccination coverage. Increase in vaccine uptake was most pronounced in people under 30. The modelling analysis was published in The Lancet Public Health.

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Radioactive medicines found in London street by member of the public

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Item containing radiopharmaceuticals lost in transit after being transported between two hospitals

A package of radioactive medicines was found in the street by a member of the public after being lost in transit between two London hospitals.

The item, containing radiopharmaceuticals, is thought not to have been secured properly in the vehicle transporting it and, after coming loose, it came into contact with an internal door release and fell out while being moved between Siemens’ Mount Vernon hospital in London and London Bridge hospital in September.

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Putin tells Boris Johnson urgent talks needed over Nato’s plans for Ukraine

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Kremlin wants legal agreement that alliance will not expand into disputed territory

Vladimir Putin has told Boris Johnson that he wants immediate talks to secure clear legal agreements that Nato will not expand eastwards. According to a Kremlin readout of the two leaders’ phone call on Monday, Putin said talks were needed to discuss Nato’s future intentions, and to clarify Ukraine’s plans for the east of the country.

The call marked the first time the two men had spoken since October before the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow. Johnson expressed the UK’s “deep concern over the buildup of Russian forces on Ukraine’s border”, and warned him “that any destabilising action would be a strategic mistake that would have significant consequences”. The British prime minister also called for the issues to be resolved through diplomatic channels.

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‘So depressing’: Covid empties City of London of pre-Christmas cheer

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The ‘work from home’ rules are less stringent than before in the financial hub, but many seem to be staying away

At about 1pm in Paternoster Square on Monday, four placid, Christmassy eyes gazed at the trickle of workers emerging from the London Stock Exchange in search of lunch. “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE REINDEER,” a sign on the enclosure said. “THIS IS TO PREVENT THE TRANSMISSION OF CORONAVIRUS.”

“I remember when you could stroke them,” said a passing trader. “It’s so depressing. I wish I’d stayed at home now.”

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Heads warn of Omicron chaos in English schools, with staff and pupils absent

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Some schools said to have up to half their teachers off due to Covid, and there are fears parents will keep pupils at home

Headteachers are warning of “chaos” in England’s schools as Omicron sweeps across the country, with high levels of staff and pupil absences and reports that parents are planning to keep children home to avoid the virus before Christmas.

School leaders and unions urged the government to introduce more protective measures, including masks in classrooms, better ventilation and tougher isolation rules to try to slow the spread of the virus before the holidays.

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Can you trust a negative lateral flow Covid test?

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Analysis: with cold symptoms, it is better to wait for a PCR result rather than risk spreading the virus

You wake up with a pounding head, sore throat and runny nose: you reach for one of those lateral flow tests (LFT) you’ve got stashed away, just to check it is not Covid. If it returns a single red line (negative), then most people will pop a couple of paracetamol and go about business as normal – particularly if you’ve been double-jabbed. It probably is just a cold, after all.

Yet, the emergence of Omicron has thrown a spanner in the works. According to the latest data, just one month after your second Pfizer or AstraZeneca jab, the ability of antibodies to neutralise Omicron is 30 times lower than if you were infected with the Delta variant – reinforcing the message that double-vaccination is no guarantee against infection.

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Covid live: Mainland China reports first Omicron cases; Norway to tighten restrictions

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First confirmed Omicron case in mainland China is detected in Tianjin; Norway to act amid record high infections and hospitalisations

South Africa has reported an additional 37,875 new coronavirus cases, which includes 19,840 retrospective cases and 18,035 new cases, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

In the past 24 hours a total of 18,035 positive Covid-19 cases and 21 Covid-related deaths were reported.

I’m worried that PNG is the next place where a new variant emerges.”

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How to teach children the real value of money

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A study has shown that by the age of seven they can grasp the lessons they need to learn to avoid financial problems in the future

The early experiences children have with money can shape their financial behaviour as adults, according to a study published by the UK government’s MoneyHelper service. By the age of seven, the University of Cambridge study found, most children are capable of grasping the value of money, delaying gratification and understanding that some choices are irreversible or will cause them problems in the future. The research suggests children who are allowed to make age-appropriate financial decisions and experience spending or saving dilemmas can form positive “habits of the mind” when it comes to money. This could lead to a lifelong improvement in their ability to plan ahead and be reflective in their thinking about money, or they may learn how to regulate their impulses and emotions in a way that promotes positive financial behaviour later in life.

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Pregnant refugees not being seen by doctors for weeks after reaching UK

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Labour MP writes to Home Office raising concerns over treatment of at least five women being put up at hotel

The Home Office is facing demands for an inquiry after it was claimed that pregnant refugees are not being fed or examined by doctors or midwives after arriving in the UK.

A first-time mother who was 38 weeks pregnant was not seen by a doctor for several weeks after crossing the Channel, it is alleged. After the Iraqi Kurdish woman was examined, it emerged that she had a pathological fear of pregnancy, and the baby had a breech presentation.

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UK’s 1m a day booster rollout is strategy of short-term pain for long-term gain

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Analysis: next few weeks will be tough for anyone who relies on the health service as well as those who work in it

The wording of the four home nations’ chief medical officers joint statement on Sunday was undramatic but still ominous. “Transmission of Covid-19 is already high in the community, mainly still driven by Delta, but the emergence of Omicron adds additional and rapidly increasing risk to the public and healthcare services.”

Given that “vaccine protection against symptomatic disease from Omicron is reduced … hospitalisations from Omicron are already occurring and these are likely to increase rapidly”, they added.

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What makes boosters more effective than the first two Covid jabs?

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Analysis: top-up vaccines make key changes to our antibody defences, reducing the threat from Omicron

Covid-19, we should know by now, is a moving target. In autumn the rollout of boosters to older age groups was contentious. Now they’re the single biggest focus. So why do boosters help so significantly compared with first and second jabs, and are we on a conveyor belt towards needing an ever-increasing number of top-ups?

Even before Omicron, it was clear boosters would be required to maintain the levels of protection against infection, although protection against severe illness appeared to be holding up well.

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Who are the rebel Tory MPs likely to oppose plan B Covid restrictions?

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Analysis: distinct camps have emerged in Westminster, from hardline lockdown sceptics to selective rebels

Government whips are braced for a major rebellion by Tory MPs over new plan B Covid restrictions due to come into force this week, against a backdrop of anger over rule-breaking Christmas parties. The restrictions are set to pass – but only thanks to support from Labour.

Ahead of the Commons votes on Tuesday on mask-wearing, working from home and Covid passports, these are the camps that are set to oppose at least some of the measures.

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Covid live news: Keir Starmer says Boris Johnson appears to have broken law over No 10 Christmas quiz

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Latest updates: UK prime minister seen at event that appears to be in breach of lockdown rules last year; minister defends PM insisting quiz was ‘virtual’

Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser for the UK Health Security Agency, has warned that “very difficult” decisions lie ahead for the government and that more Covid measures may be needed.

She told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show:

I think that the restrictions that the government have announced are sensible. I think that we may need to go beyond them. But we’ll need to watch carefully what happens with hospitalisations.

The challenge we have and the challenge government has is trying to balance the risks and benefits to the society, to people, to the population, to the economy, and to health, and they have very difficult decisions ahead of them.

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G7 leaders warn Russia all sanctions on table over Ukraine border buildup

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Kremlin would ‘face massive consequences’ in event of invasion, says UK foreign secretary at Liverpool talks

All forms of economic sanctions against Russia are on the table if it makes an incursion into Ukraine, the British foreign secretary has said, as she hinted she may be prepared to look again at the UK’s anti-money-laundering laws that are seen by some as a way for Russian elites to stash their cash.

Speaking on the final day of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Liverpool, Liz Truss said that if Russia were to invade, it “would face massive consequences for which there would be severe cost”, amid fears over a Russian troop buildup.

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UK has Omicron Covid patients in hospital, government confirms

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Top UK medical adviser says growing number of people going to emergency departments diagnosed with Omicron

People have been admitted to hospital with the Omicron variant in Britain, a government minister has confirmed, as a senior public health adviser said further curbs may be needed.

The education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, said he could confirm there were “cases in hospital with Omicron”. “We’ve been able to test people who are in hospital over the past two weeks, and so there is a lag to hospitalisation,” he told Trevor Phillips on Sky News.

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Naomie Harris says ‘huge star’ groped her during audition

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Bond actor recalls past #MeToo incident and contrasts lack of censure with ‘immediate’ removal on recent project

The Oscar-nominated actor Naomie Harris has said a #MeToo incident on one of her recent projects prompted the “immediate” removal of the perpetrator, as she recalled another occasion when she was groped by a “huge star” who faced no censure.

Harris, who played Moneypenny in the last three Bond films and was up for an Oscar for her role in Moonlight in 2017, declined to name either of the men allegedly responsible.

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Body of evidence: meet the experts working in crime scene forensics

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Phone signals, soil samples, tattoo ink, fly larvae… We all know that microscopic traces can play a crucial role in solving crimes. But who are the forensic experts who can read the clues?

Before I started out in forensics 20 years ago, I served in the military. I was a communications engineer in the army, radios were my domain. After I left, someone suggested I turn to digital forensics. I was a bit of a sceptic at first, but I just didn’t understand what could be done. In my time, I’ve worked in both the private and public sector; within the police and as an independent expert.

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‘My son’s birthday party is off’ – the sacrifices UK parents are making to save Christmas

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Families tell of their ‘heartbreak’ as parties and other social plans are cancelled in the wake of Omicron

’Tis the season to be jolly, and last week Marieke Navin and her boyfriend were planning to attend three Christmas parties between them. But now, following the rise of the Omicron variant, they are not going to any.

“I was looking forward to those parties,” said Navin. “But my priority is protecting Christmas. I don’t want my children to be isolating in their room on Christmas Day, or be unable to visit their dad or my parents. I don’t want my partner’s kids to be unable to come to us on Boxing Day. I don’t want to jeopardise the movement of the children, and I don’t want anyone being poorly over Christmas.”

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