Coronavirus

The final remaining COVID restrictions are expected to be lifted in Wales, the government has said. Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford will announce the update on Friday, with the restrictions to be removed from Monday, 30 May. Wales moved to alert level 0 in January and the majority of measures were removed in March. But there are still some remaining: • Face coverings are legally required in health and care settings (but nowhere else) Advertisement • Workplaces and premises open to the public must continue to carry out coronavirus work assessments • If you have COVID symptoms you must take a lateral flow test More on Covid-19 Monkeypox: COVID-19 a greater worry, says Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla Sue Gray report, part two: How damaged is Boris Johnson? COVID: Spain relaxes entry rules for Britons ahead of summer holidays Related Topics: COVID-19 Wales • If you test positive you … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Wales set to lift final remaining coronavirus restrictions

Friends of a Whitehall cleaner who died of suspected Covid at the height of the pandemic have criticised Downing Street’s “party culture” while they were working without masks on low wages. Emanuel Gomes died with coronavirus symptoms in April 2020 after he continued working as a cleaner at the Ministry of Justice despite feeling ill, for fear of having his pay cut. Although most civil servants had been sent home, Emanuel Gomes and his colleagues were told that, as essential workers, they should keep coming into work. His colleagues have now hit out at Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, over what they said was the disrespectful attitude of some senior Whitehall workers towards Downing Street cleaning staff and security guards, highlighted in Sue Gray’s report. They say they had to carry on working on low wages during lockdown, without face masks or PPE being provided and no sick pay. Cleaners 'disrespected on a daily basis' Colleagues and friends of Emanuel Gomes, who … [Read more...] about Friends of Whitehall cleaner who ‘died of Covid’ criticise Downing Street ‘party culture’

Families who lost loved ones to coronavirus have spoken of their fury and devastation at the new revelations of partying by the Prime Minister and staff at No 10 Downing Street in the Sue Gray Report . While those who set the Covid rules were carousing until 4am, singing karaoke and drinking until they were sick, the families were unable to spend those last precious moments with their dying relatives. The 37-page document includes damning details of the revelry that took place at the heart of Government, in flagrant disregard for the rules. Lobby Akinnola, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said: “When they were texting colleagues about getting away with it, we were having to text our families telling them they couldn’t come to their loved ones’ funerals.” Sue Gray's report has been published ( Image: PA) Here some of the families talk of their pain: Colin Jones Tiffany Jones’ father Colin died of Covid late on December 18, 2020, the … [Read more...] about ‘My father died of Covid while Boris Johnson’s staff held a Christmas party’

The final version of Sue Gray’s long-awaited report felt a bit like being presented with a birthday cake only to find some of it had already been eaten. Six months on from reports of partygate first surfacing – and coming after the senior civil servant had already published her interim findings in January – it seemed as stale as a week-old sponge. A leak ensured that we had already seen the best photograph, showing Boris Johnson toasting staff at Lee Cain’s leaving do, while the key finding that there were “failures of leadership” at the heart of Number 10 and that those who broke the rules they’d set should have known better rang as familiar as the tune to Happy Birthday. Some of the events should never have taken place; staff should never have been so drunk at “ Wine Time Friday ” that they vomited; “There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across Government”. It was nothing that we didn’t know already. Just as … [Read more...] about Sue Gray report seemed stale as a week-old sponge, leaving Boris Johnson to fight another day

As the head of the civil service, Simon Case is the highest ranking public official to be implicated in the partygate scandal . Aged 43 and with a PhD in political history, the civil servant’s roles have included director of strategy for GCHQ and principal private secretary to David Cameron and Theresa May. He left Government in 2018 to take up a role as private secretary to the Duke of Cambridge but was drafted back into Whitehall in April 2020 to help with the Government’s pandemic response efforts. His deployment to the Cabinet Office at the height of the first national lockdown - which was initially intended as a temporary secondment from his royal duties - led to his rapid promotion through the ranks of the civil service high command. In June 2020, just three months after his return to Government, he was promoted to the role of permanent secretary to run 10 Downing Street. And in September of the same year he was appointed to lead the civil service, becoming the … [Read more...] about Meet Simon Case: The highest ranking public official to be implicated in the partygate scandal

Technology companies are living through a market rout not seen since the embers of the dotcom crash. The Nasdaq has fallen for seven consecutive weeks, the longest losing streak since 2002, and is down 30pc this year. Investment bankers who were busier than ever this time last year during the Spac frenzy are twiddling their thumbs. Bitcoin, once marketed as a hedge against inflation, has crashed too. Elon Musk’s $44bn (£35bn) agreement to buy Twitter a month ago is looking more ill-timed by the day . The superstars at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week are not youthful internet entrepreneurs but nonagenarian diplomats and financiers. A combination of a global inflationary crisis and the subsequent rise in interest rates has been a sharp rejoinder to any tech worker under the age of 35, who has only ever experienced their employers becoming richer and more powerful. Such an environment is starting to take its toll on most. This week, Snapchat’s parent company warned … [Read more...] about Inflation crisis will give tech titans even more power

As we adjust to life outside the EU, the government is busy positioning the UK as an outward-looking nation, creating international products and selling them around the world. Britain's music industry is already a genuine global leader – the world’s second biggest exporter of music, a major plank in our cultural identity and economy. The pandemic has devastated many musicians' livelihoods, particularly those heavily reliant on live performance. But for the industry’s sake the UK’s resilient recorded music sector must continue growing and punching above its weight on the world stage. Supplying one in 10 songs streamed worldwide, British artists are already overrepresented in music streaming, with a market share four times greater than the UK's overall share of global GDP. Stars like Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi, Adele, Harry Styles, Dua Lipa and Stormzy contributed to the 155 million albums (or their equivalent) streamed or bought in 2020 in the UK. The 139 billion individual audio … [Read more...] about We need British music to thrive after the pandemic – now is not the time to regulate success

Diabetes UK show how to test feet for diabetic feet sensitivity Sign up for FREE health tips to live a long and happy life SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info When you visit an opticians, such as Specsavers for example, the optometrist can check your eyes for signs of damage caused by excessive blood sugar levels. Giles Edmonds, Specsavers' clinical service director, warned of diabetic retinopathy. "In its early stages diabetic retinopathy usually doesn’t pose any noticeable symptoms," he said. "So an eye test can pick it up before you do." Related articles Dementia symptoms: Craving three types of food is a warning sign Cancer: Sitting the wrong way while pooing could put you at risk If, however, … [Read more...] about Diabetes type 2 symptoms: Three warnings signs high blood sugar is damaging the eyes

Russian oil ban not enough to stop them funding war says expert Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info It means there will be no respite for drivers struggling with record fuel prices along with the ongoing cost of living crisis. It comes as US refineries have increased production to levels not seen since before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Related articles BP pledges to pump £18bn into UK's homegrown energy Hungary wields the knife on EU Russian oil ban The increase in production is a response to a dip in supplies. Last week US crude stockpiles fell by one million barrels. Flagship Brent Crude prices … [Read more...] about Oil price surge: Devastating blow for UK motorists as barrel prices hit £90

Russian foreign minister issues warning to EU Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info France's cybersecurity agency ANSSI has announced "several French entities" had been breached by hackers and linked the attacks to a Russian hacking group. This group is believed to be behind some of the most devastating cyberattacks over recent years. Related articles Russia's cyber 'atomic bomb' threat to US exposed MASSIVE US cyberattack to DESTROY Joe Biden The latest "intrusion campaign" compromised the French software firm Centreon to install two pieces of malware into its clients' networks. It is believed the intrusion campaign … [Read more...] about What is Putin up to? Macron panic as France discovers devastating Russian hacking plot