There is “some limited evidence” that the recent sharp increase in new coronavirus cases in England is levelling off, the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. New cases of COVID-19 in England were around 8,400 per day in the latest week up to 24 September – down from around 9,600 per day during
Month: October 2020
The billionaire brothers behind one of Britain’s biggest petrol station operators have bought Asda from Walmart in a £6.8bn deal. Sky News exclusively revealed earlier this week that a consortium led by Mohsin and Zuber Issa, the bosses of Blackburn-based EG Group, and TDR Capital, the London-based private equity firm, had been selected by the
The new head of the Secret Intelligence Service has said he will try and persuade some of his Twitter followers to work for MI6. Richard Moore, formerly the British ambassador to Turkey, was an active Twitter user under his old account – tweeting more than 18,000 times since joining in November 2013. Tweeting from @ChiefMI6
American presidential election watchers are always primed for what they call the “October surprise”. This year’s was dropped by Donald Trump in a 1am bombshell tweet that has thrown the race for the White House into chaos. First and foremost, Americans will want to know the running of the country is in safe hands after
Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19, just a month from the US election on 3 November. Mr Trump and his wife Melania will now quarantine for two weeks while undergoing treatment for the coronavirus, something which will impact the remaining presidential debates. Being 74-years-old and – according to his health records published in June
Boris Johnson will hold talks with the head of the EU Commission – a day after she began legal action over his plan to potentially override the Brexit deal. Ursula von der Leyen and the prime minister are due to talk on Saturday afternoon. A Number 10 spokesperson said it is to “take stock of
Pressure is mounting on an MP who broke coronavirus rules to quit, after she was accused of making “a huge error of judgement”. Margaret Ferrier has already been kicked out of the SNP parliamentary party but is facing calls to leave the Commons completely over her actions. She travelled from Scotland to London on Monday
Donald Trump’s positive test result for coronavirus has immediately prompted speculation around his chances of suffering severe illness from the disease. Based on his age and the results of his most recent physical tests, the 74-year-old president is considered to be at higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has now killed more
Donald Trump and his wife Melania have tested positive for coronavirus. In a tweet, the president said: “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” Mr Trump earlier said he and the first lady were self-isolating after Hope Hicks, one
SNP MP Margaret Ferrier is the latest high-profile figure to break coronavirus rules. But what did she do and how does it compare to the political world’s other rule-breakers? Image: Margaret Ferrier, SNP MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West Saturday 26 September Ms Ferrier, MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, started experiencing “mild symptoms” of
Billie Eilish has shared the video for her James Bond theme song, No Time To Die. It focuses heavily on the spy’s latest love interest, who he is rumoured to marry in the film. Beginning with a dark screen, Eilish slowly appears and delivers a brooding performance of the hit track, weaved in with explosive
An MP has apologised for travelling on public transport after testing positive for coronavirus. The SNP’s Margaret Ferrier said in a statement there was “no excuse for my actions” and “I apologise unreservedly for breaching COVID-19 restrictions by travelling this week when I shouldn’t have”. “On Saturday afternoon, after experiencing mild symptoms, I requested a
This year may feel dystopian enough for some, but if you can handle more weirdness then new TV show Brave New World might be up your street. The Sky One show has been adapted from the classic Aldous Huxley novel of the same name and is set in New London, where privacy and monogamy have
Around 2.5 million young girls are at risk of early marriage by 2025 due to the coronavirus pandemic, a charity has warned. Save the Children described the numbers as the greatest surge in child marriage rates in the last 25 years, reversing progress made towards ending the practice. This year, an estimated 500,000 more girls
COVID-19 antibodies in blood plasma donations appear to drop within just months of symptoms emerging, a study has warned. The NHS has been using plasma as a treatment for coronavirus infections, and the number of people receiving donations has quadrupled in the last month. But the health service says it still needs more donations and
Ocado is facing allegations that its robot-operated warehouse technology has infringed a rival company’s patents. The online grocery firm, which has built a surge in its market value in recent years on the sale of such systems, is being sued by Norwegian robotics company AutoStore. It has filed lawsuits in both the US and UK