Fears over Spain and Greece grow as holidaymakers await travel review July 27, 2021 There are growing concerns that Spain and Greece could be added to the government’s “amber plus” travel list in the coming days after a surge in Covid cases. Yesterday Number 10 has confirmed it will release a review this week into its traffic light system for international travel, with the status of vaccinated tourists to [...]
Housing fraud trial: Poplar and Limehouse MP Apsana Begum breaks down in court July 26, 2021 A Labour MP accused of housing fraud wept in court today as she described the “traumatic” moment she called police and fled her family home after an argument with her brother during which he claimed she was possessed. Apsana Begum, 31, who is on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, said she went to a police [...]
Rishi Sunak: ‘Britcoin’ will not replace cash July 26, 2021 Rishi Sunak has hosed down any suggestion that the government could replace cash with a digital currency dubbed “Britcoin”. Sunak said in a LinkedIn post that the government has “not yet made a decision on whether to introduce a [Central Bank Digital Currency] in the UK”, after reports over the weekend suggested the chancellor wants [...]
US and China hold ‘frank and open’ talks but differences yet to be resolved July 26, 2021 The high-level face-to-face meeting between China and the US highlighted the difference and no specific outcomes were agreed. US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met today with her counterpart, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in the Chinese city of Tianjin. The talks came after the worsening relations between Beijing and Washington [...]
Russia PM plots his own Cayman Islands with disputed Japanese territories July 26, 2021 Russia has said its prime minister can go wherever he wants on Russian territory, following a Japanese diplomatic protest against his visit to a disputed string of islands. Tokyo has set out an official diplomatic protest over the visit by prime minister Mikhail Mishustin to one of four Russian-held islands which Japan claims, a Japanese [...]
US maintains travel ban on UK residents over Delta variant fears July 26, 2021 The White House has maintained a travel ban on the UK and the EU’s schengen zone due to fears over the highly transmissible Delta variant. The ban has now been in place since last March when it was implemented by former President Donald Trump. A White House official told Reuters today: “Given where we are [...]
Chinese billionaire Larry Chen takes a hit as Beijing cracks down on private education July 26, 2021 Larry Chen, the founder, chairman and chief executive of Gaotu Techedu, has lost his billionaire status as China imposed a regulatory overhaul on the country’s $100bn private education sector. The Chinese authorities released new regulations banning companies to teach school curriculums in order to make profits, raise capital, or go public, Bloomberg reported today. Chen, [...]
Labour calls for ’employment charter’ to enshrine workers’ rights post-Covid July 26, 2021 Labour has called for a new “employment charter”, which would see workers’ rights enshrined in law from day one in a new job. The party is also calling for a ban on “fire and rehire” practices as a part of the charter, after the practice gained notoriety throughout the pandemic. Under the current legislation some [...]
Government refuses to rule out ban on unvaccinated students going to university July 26, 2021 The government has refused to rule out a ban on unvaccinated students returning to university amid reports Boris Johnson is actively pushing the issue. The Prime Minister has reportedly made low take-up rates of the Covid vaccine among 18-30-year-olds one of his priorities, particularly over the autumn and winter months. The Times reported today that [...]
JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin hits out at Test and Trace app July 25, 2021 JD Wetherspoon chief Tim Martin has claimed the UK is being “laid to waste” by the Test and Trace app as one-in-eight of the pub chain’s staff are forced to self-isolate. Martin said 5,000 of his 40,000 staff were pinged by the app last week alone, causing labour shortages at some of the chain’s 925 [...]