Category Archives: UK news

Reasons why Covid variant could kill more people are uncertain

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Whatever the answer, everyone has to try even harder not to catch it in the first place

Those who may have been comforted in recent weeks by the evolutionary theory of virus mutation – that the more transmissible they become, the less lethal they are – may now be pondering the news that the variant that originated in Kent not only spreads more easily but may kill more people too.

Britain’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, at the Downing Street press briefing, said it could be that in people over 60 with Covid, 13 or 14 might die in every 1000, instead of 10 as has been the case. The reasons still seem to be uncertain.

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Unite calls special meeting over alleged overspend on £50m building project

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Union denies wrongdoing after contracts for Birmingham complex given to firms investigated for bribery

Unite, Labour’s most generous backer, is organising a special meeting of its ruling body to discuss an alleged overspend on a multimillion pound construction project funded by the union.

The executive council will convene on Friday 29 January to discuss a seven-storey hotel and national conference centre in Birmingham funded by the union.

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UK Covid variant could be more deadly, says Boris Johnson – video

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Boris Johnson said there was ‘some evidence’ that the new variant of the coronavirus first discovered in the south-east of England could be more lethal than the original. Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, said the data was ‘not yet strong,’ but that the variant could be up to 30% more deadly than other strains.

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Data on Covid infections in England suggests cautious approach best

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Some survey results show that the overall picture might not be as rosy as implied by others

A quick glance at the government’s coronavirus dashboard might be fuel for optimism. But new data suggests the picture may not be so rosy.

According to the dashboard, the number of people testing positive for Covid is falling: 37,892 positive tests were reported on Thursday, compared with 62,322 on 6 January. Cases by specimen date show similar trends.

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UK weather: country due sub-zero temperatures as Arctic air sweeps in

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Freezing conditions could reach -10c and hamper clean-up effort after Storm Christoph

Britain is braced for sub-zero temperatures as a cold blast of Arctic air sweeps the country in the aftermath of Storm Christoph.

The Met Office said snow and ice would cause travel disruption in large parts of the country as temperatures drop as low as -10c in Scotland and -7c in parts of northern England.

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MEPs vote to add Channel and British Virgin Islands to tax haven blacklist

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UK overseas territories such as Cayman Islands also may lose protection once afforded by UK’s EU membership

The European parliament is pushing for UK overseas territories including the British Virgin Islands, Guernsey and Jersey to be added to an EU tax havens blacklist after the conclusion of the Brexit deal.

Sending a signal that tougher action on tax avoidance was required in response to the coronavirus pandemic, MEPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of adding more nations and territories to the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions.

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People-smuggling gang members jailed over Essex lorry deaths

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Two ringleaders receive sentences of 27 and 20 years after 39 Vietnamese people suffocated in container

The two ringleaders of the people-smuggling gang responsible for the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people who suffocated in a sealed refrigeration container as they were transported across the Channel from France have received prison sentences of 27 and 20 years.

Ronan Hughes, 41, who ran a haulage company and organised the lorries and drivers to transport the migrants, was sentenced to 20 years at the Old Bailey on Friday. He pleaded guilty last year to 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiring to bring people into the country unlawfully.

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I’m in a UK Covid vaccine trial – should I also accept a ‘real’ jab?

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My turn for an AstraZeneca dose has come up, so I need to decide whether to drop out of Novavax tests

I had two excellent pieces of news this week. They left me feeling utterly wretched.

First, my turn came up for the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid. I was told I could have my first jab on Thursday.

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Coronavirus live news: Brazil variant found in Germany; AstraZeneca EU vaccine deliveries to fall short

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Germany says first case of Brazilian version of virus discovered in Hesse; AstraZeneca blames production glitch for delivery shortfall

Belgium is banning all leisure travel abroad for its citizens as of next week and until March in an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19, AP reports.

Prime minister Alexander De Croo said that “when people travel, the virus travels with them.”

Public outrage is growing in Spain as cases of politicians and well-connected opportunists jumping the queue in the coronavirus vaccination campaign come to light, even as delivery delays have forced some regions to stop new inoculations, AP reports.

Spain’s defence ministry has been the latest governmental department to launch an internal inquiry to find out if the military top brass dodged coronavirus vaccine protocols by receiving a jab before their turn.

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15-year-old boy dies after being attacked by group in Birmingham

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Teenager ‘set upon’ on Thursday afternoon in the Handsworth area of north west Birmingham

A 15-year-old boy has died after being attacked by a group of youths in the Handsworth area of Birmingham.

The boy was “set upon” by the gang in Linwood Road just after 3.30pm on Thursday. He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries a short time later, according to West Midlands Police.

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Johnson raises fears of lockdown in England continuing into summertime

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No 10 wary of talking about easing restrictions as infection rate remains high

Boris Johnson raised fears that tough Covid restrictions could continue well into the spring and beyond on Thursday as ministers refused to be drawn on plans for any potential easing of lockdown.

While the vast majority of Tory MPs have toed the line since the new variant of the virus sent cases soaring, Downing Street’s reticence is already causing anxiety among a few backbenchers, who are urging an easing of the restrictions if vaccination rates stay on target.

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UK insists it will not grant EU ambassador full diplomatic status

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Foreign Office says EU should not be treated as nation state, despite 142 countries granting bloc this status

A near-yearlong row about the UK’s refusal to grant full diplomatic status of the EU mission to the UK has worsened, with the leak of letters revealing the EU foreign affairs chief has serious concerns about the status being given to EU officials in the UK.

The issue is likely to be discussed at a EU foreign affairs council on Monday, the first such meeting of member states’ foreign ministers since the post-Brexit transition ended.

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Coronavirus live news: Portugal bans all UK flights; France recommends surgical masks

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Move aimed at tackling spread of new variant; Cloth masks ‘fail to provide enough protection’; Rio carnival cannot be held even in middle of year, warns city mayor

Japan’s government has privately concluded the Tokyo Olympics will have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus, The Times has reported, citing an unnamed senior member of the ruling coalition.

The government’s focus is now on securing the games for Tokyo in the next available year, 2032, the newspaper said.

French president Emmanuel Macron said France will make PCR tests compulsory for all travellers into France from Sunday, including from fellow EU countries, Reuters reports.

Cross-border workers and land transportation will be exempt from that obligation, the French presidency added. The test will have to be carried out no later than 72 hours before departure.

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‘We’re being asked to do too much’: NHS workers on fighting the second wave

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Six healthcare workers share how they are coping after nearly a year on the UK’s Covid frontline

With the UK reaching record levels of coronavirus cases in January, pressure on those working in frontline health services has never been greater.

From paramedics to intensive care nurses, the Guardian speaks to six healthcare workers about how they’re coping during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, and how it compares with the first.

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EU could ban travellers from Britain to contain Covid variants

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Movement restrictions at EU internal borders will also dominate debate between 27 chiefs

The European Union could ban travellers from Britain and restrict movement at the bloc’s own internal borders under proposals to be debated by leaders at a videoconference summit.

The need to clamp down on the spread of the new variants of coronavirus will dominate discussions between the 27 heads of state and government on Thursday evening.

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Wear medical-grade masks if you can’t socially distance, Britons told

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As new Covid variants emerge, scientists advise use of FFP masks that filter inflow and outflow of air

Scientists have urged Britons to wear medical-grade masks when they cannot physically distance, amid growing concerns of faster-spreading Covid-19 variants – but said that any face covering is better than none at all.

This week French health officials advised people to wear surgical masks rather than homemade fabric ones as these afford greater protection against highly contagious new variants.

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London buses turned into ambulances to ease Covid strain

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Exclusive: Adapted single-deckers with seats removed and oxygen onboard will transfer patients

NHS staff are preparing to transport patients using two London buses that have been converted into makeshift ambulances, in another sign of the strain Covid is putting on the capital’s health services.

Most of the seats on the single-decker buses have been removed so that each can carry four patients, in an attempt to relieve the intense pressure on hospitals and the London ambulance service.

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Inquest into murdered Hertfordshire student fails to establish cause of death

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Samples taken from Joy Morgan’s liver and muscles revealed presence of MDMA in her system

Mystery still surrounds the murder of a midwifery student by a fellow member of her church after an inquest failed to identify the medical cause of death.

The body of 20-year-old Joy Morgan was discovered in woodland in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, on 5 October 2019 – two months after Shohfah-El Israel was jailed for life for her murder. Israel, who was sentenced to a minimum term of 17 years, had refused to reveal the location of her body.

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Teenagers can ‘catch’ moods from friends, study finds

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UK study investigates impact of individuals’ moods within shared social network

Teenagers can “catch” moods from their friends and negative moods appear to be more contagious than positive, a study has found.

The study by Oxford and Birmingham universities investigates “emotional contagion” among teenagers, to see the impact of individuals’ moods within a shared social network.

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UK reports 1,820 more Covid deaths, the most recorded in one day

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Britain records biggest ever daily increase for second day in a row, as new cases rise sharply

The daily number of coronavirus deaths has reached 1,820, the highest since the pandemic began.

The number of new cases rose sharply to 38,905, after initially falling earlier in the week, which prompted hopes that lockdown restrictions were working.

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