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Former Conservative leader William Hague has thrown his weight behind calls for tax rises at this week's budget in order to deal with Britain's huge COVID spending. In a major intervention, the senior Tory said the country had "reached the point where at least some business and personal taxes have to go up". Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering a hike in corporation tax when he reveals his budget on Wednesday. It has also been claimed he will seek to raise £6bn by freezing income tax thresholds for at least three years. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player How will the budget help our high streets? Mr Sunak has hinted his budget will include an extension of support schemes for furloughed workers and businesses while COVID restrictions remain. Advertisement But he has also warned of the need to "level" with the public about the large economic cost of the pandemic. In the 10 months … [Read more...] about Budget 2021: Lord Hague throws his weight behind calls for Rishi Sunak to raise taxes to deal with COVID spend

F itbit exercise trackers could be having an adverse effect on teenagers, preventing them from exercising rather than encouraging it, research has found. Researchers at Brunel University London found wearing a Fitbit for two months left teenagers feeling demotivated about physical activity rather than encouraging them to do more. The study tracked 84 students aged 13 to 14 who wore a Fitbit tracker for eight weeks. It found the initial novelty of the device, which encouraged more activity in the first few weeks, wore off and pupils' movement levels declined. Part of the problem is that Fitbit's targets are unrealistic and not tailored to individuals, the researchers said. The 10,000 steps-a-day goal, for example, was described by participants as "unfair". "They strived to achieve it but would often fall short," said Dr Charlotte Kerner, one of the lead researchers. "That made them feel really bad about themselves and put them off exercise." … [Read more...] about Fitbits discourage teenagers from exercising, study shows

The first assessment of the Brazilian variant of COVID-19, newly identified in the UK, shows it may spread more easily - and evade the immune system. Scientists from Brazil and the UK estimate the variant, known as P1, is 1.4 to 2.2 times more transmissible than previous versions of coronavirus circulating in Manaus, the Amazon city where it originated. It is also able to evade between 25% and 61% of protective immunity from previous infection, according researchers at Imperial College London and the University of Sao Paulo. The study has not been peer reviewed. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Advertisement What we know about the Brazil variant Almost 70% of the Manaus population had immunity from the first wave of COVID infections last spring, yet a surge of re-infections at the start of this year led to hospitals in the city being overwhelmed. Six UK cases of the P1 variant have been identified in … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Brazilian P1 variant may spread more easily and could evade immune system, scientists find

What's going to be in the budget? A lot of the big announcements have already been revealed, leaked, or guessed at. Here's what to expect: Housing A mortgage guarantee scheme will help home buyers purchase properties worth up to £600,000 with a deposit of just 5% with the government underwriting the other 95%. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Rishi Sunak could also reportedly extend the stamp duty holiday announced last summer on homes worth up to £500,000, currently due to run until the end of March. Advertisement Tax Plans to begin to increase corporation tax from 19% to 23% by the next general election will reportedly be set out. More from Budget 2021 Budget 2021: Lord Hague throws his weight behind calls for Rishi Sunak to raise taxes to deal with COVID spend Budget 2021: Sunak prepares to pump cash into COVID recovery as tax rise debate continues Budget 2021: Rishi Sunak plans £520m Help … [Read more...] about Budget: Stamp duty, furlough, tax rises – here’s what to expect in Wednesday’s announcement

The US could see a "fourth surge" of coronavirus cases fuelled by the spread of variants, a top health official has warned. Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said variants are a "real threat to our people and progress", and that there was real concern of a possible fourth wave based on some concerning CDC data. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world New COVID-19 cases in the States have plateaued, following some steep drops, and have started to increase again over the last few days. Declines in hospitalisations and deaths are also "potentially levelling off at still a very high number", Dr Walensky said. Advertisement What threat do new variants pose? There are currently around 70,000 coronavirus cases a day and 2,000 daily deaths, Dr Walensky added. Overall, the outbreak has killed more than half a million Americans. More from Covid-19 … [Read more...] about COVID-19: US warned of possible ‘fourth surge’ if coronavirus variants spread