Family gather at Pele’s bedside as Brazilian legend’s cancer worsens December 25, 2022 Brazilian soccer legend Pele’s family members gathered at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo on Saturday, where the 82-year-old, widely considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has been since late November. Doctors said this week that Pele’s cancer had advanced and that he requires care related to renal and cardiac dysfunction. His family [...]
One Chinese province faces a MILLION new Covid-19 cases every day December 25, 2022 China’s Zhejiang, a big industrial province near Shanghai, is battling around a million new daily COVID-19 infections, a number expected to double in the days ahead, the provincial government said on Sunday. Despite a record surge of cases nationwide, China reported no COVID deaths on the mainland for the five days through Saturday, the Chinese [...]
Red-faced Putin: Russia now ready to ‘negotiate’ over Ukraine war December 25, 2022 President Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine but that Kyiv and its Western backers had refused to engage in talks. Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most deadly conflict in Europe since World War Two and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since [...]
Gantry McGantryface? Competition to redesign motorway architecture begins December 25, 2022 National Highways is seeking an “elegant” and “innovative” new design for motorway gantries in England. The Government-owned company is holding a competition to replace existing designs for the structures, which a leading architect described as “cumbersome”. The display of information to drivers has evolved over several decades from basic signs at the side of carriageways [...]
Central London footfall collapses in run-up to Christmas as strikes hit December 25, 2022 Christmas Eve footfall in central London was almost 15 per cent down on the week before as rail strikes effectively wiped out last-minute shopping plans. December 24 is usually a bumper day for retailers as Londoners rush to pick up last-minute gifts before getting trains home, whilst Brits also flock into the capital for a [...]
There’s no escape: ALL Boxing Day trains axed as result of strike action December 25, 2022 Thousands of people planning to travel by train on Boxing Day are being forced to make alternative plans as a rail strike means no services will run. Hundreds of departures usually run on December 26 after the Christmas Day shutdown. But Network Rail said Britain’s railways will remain closed for a second consecutive day due [...]
About time too: Hong Kong set to reopen border with mainland China December 24, 2022 Hong Kong’s leader says China has agreed to a reopening of the city’s border with the mainland, which has been largely closed by pandemic restrictions, and that he is aiming for a mid-January start. Chief executive John Lee, returning from a trip to Beijing where he met President Xi Jinping and other officials, told reporters [...]
Rishi Sunak hires Spectator journo James Forsyth as key political aide December 24, 2022 Rishi Sunak has hired James Forsyth, the Spectator’s political editor and a Times columnist, as his new political secretary. The news was broken by The Times and the Spectator. Forsyth will bolster Sunak’s key Downing Street team as the Prime Minister seeks to overcome a double-digit deficit in most election polls. He is a long-standing [...]
Heathrow strikes: Airport says departures and arrivals still operating ‘smoothly’ December 24, 2022 BORDER FORCE strikes at Heathrow appear so far to be having little impact on the airport’s arrivals and departures. A spokesperson for the airport told City A.M. this morning that despite a walkout by staff, “operations continue to run smoothly and the airport is operating as normal. The Immigration halls are free flowing with Border [...]
Sign of the times: Bank branches shut doors in their thousands December 24, 2022 More than 5,000 bank and building society branches have closed over the past seven years, according to analysis from Which? The consumer group counted 5,162 bank and building society branches which have closed since January 2015. A further 206 branches are set to close by the end of 2023, according to the Which? findings, as [...]
