A cyber espionage campaign targeted at companies vital to the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has been detected. According to an alert issued by the US government and a research blog published by IBM, the hacking campaign started in September. It targeted a range of organisations, including in government and across the energy and IT sectors,
Month: December 2020
A long-awaited trade deal between the UK and the EU has been struck just days before the deadline. The treaty will apply from 1 January 2021 and take over from the existing arrangements under the transition period, which has seen the UK continue to follow most EU rules since Brexit day to limit disruption to
Switching from ultra high-definition (UHD) video streaming on a smartphone to standard definition could reduce carbon emissions by eight times, according to the Royal Society. In a new report on tackling climate change, the scientists offer electronic device users tips to reduce their carbon footprint. Digital technologies – from the services we use through to
Britain was the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine because it has “much better” regulators than France, Belgium and the US, a senior minister has claimed. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson boasted that “we’re a much better country than every single one of them” – after some international disquiet surfaced following the breakthrough jab news.
Three of the UK’s ‘big four’ supermarket chains have now confirmed plans to return a total of almost £1.3bn in coronavirus aid to the public purse. Sainsbury’s revealed on Thursday morning it was to discuss with officials how it could hand back an expected £440m – following in the footsteps of rivals Tesco and Morrisons
The US has recorded its biggest daily death toll of the pandemic so far, on the same day it also reached a record number of COVID-19 patients in hospital. More than 2,670 coronavirus deaths were reported on Wednesday – the equivalent of nearly two deaths a minute – according to Johns Hopkins University. The widely-respected
A review into the UK government’s handling of the pandemic is set to be published today and will accuse ministers of “gambling with the UK’s future” by relaxing restrictions over Christmas. In a scathing review, cross-party MPs have made over 40 recommendations to the government “so that its preparedness and response may be improved in
A government minister has warned that Coronation Street would be in Tier 3 under COVID restrictions – and the Rovers Return would only be able to serve takeaway food. The claim was made by media minister John Whittingdale in a Commons debate in which MPs of all parties lavished praise on the TV soap as
The public should take the COVID-19 vaccine when it is offered to them if they want to see an end to social distancing, one of the government’s top medical officers has said. Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical officer, told a Downing Street news conference that while people were “fed up” with ongoing coronavirus
Almost a year living with COVID, finally on Wednesday came a genuinely brilliant breakthrough: the UK regulator became the first in the world to approve the Pzifer-BioNTech vaccine, with the roll-out of jabs to the most vulnerable in our society beginning next week. The prime minister, in characteristically flamboyant language, used a press conference to
The Royal Albert Hall will be celebrating its 150th anniversary with a raft of musical shows – despite the inevitable challenges thrown up by the coronavirus pandemic. The iconic building – which was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871 – has survived two World Wars, but it’s fair to say that COVID-19 may be the
With more people being forced to work from home during 2020 due to COVID-19, research has revealed the streets with the slowest and fastest broadband in the UK. It shows the country’s poorest connection is as much as 5,330 times slower than the fastest street. People living in Dale Lane in Appleton, Cheshire, enjoy the
It will take “some months” for the UK’s most vulnerable people to be vaccinated against coronavirus, the prime minister has said. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Boris Johnson acknowledged there will be “immense logistical challenges” in distributing the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which has approved for use in the UK. Live updates on coronavirus from
James Corden may be one of the leads in the new film adaptation of Broadway musical The Prom, but he admits he’s glad his school never had one. While the American tradition of putting on a dance for school leavers is something that has been getting more popular in the UK in recent years, the
The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in the UK is manufactured in Belgium and needs to be stored at -70C (-94F) to avoid spoiling before it is administered. The government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has confirmed its priority list for the first phase of the UK’s mass vaccine rollout, which will
Tesco’s decision to return £585m in business rates relief immediately created waves in the City. Within minutes of the announcement hitting screens at 7am, the chief financial officer of another FTSE 100 retailer was contacting an adviser in the Square Mile to ask whether his business should do the same. He was told: “There are