DEBATE: Is a virtual office Christmas party a disastrous idea? December 4, 2020 Is a virtual office Christmas party a disastrous idea? John Oxley, a Conservative commentator, says YES. The only thing worse than enforced fun is enforced virtual fun. Real office parties are barely enjoyable. Spending an evening with colleagues you are largely indifferent to is an obligation you endure, because if you don’t they put “Poor [...]
Vaccine or no vaccine, Britain must relearn how to live with risk December 4, 2020 The approval this week of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the UK heralds the beginning of the end of this hellish pandemic. People are rejoicing — and rightly so. A vaccine was the light at the end of the Covid tunnel, and with the first doses due to be administered in a matter of days, there [...]
Swift vaccine approval is a British success story December 4, 2020 It was wonderful to wake up on Wednesday to some good news. Yes, the UK Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19. The first doses of the vaccine could be delivered as early as next week. The MHRA’s swift approval makes it the first agency in a western [...]
Climate change: UK sets new 2030 carbon emissions target December 3, 2020 Boris Johnson has set a drastic new climate change target in a bid to reach its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The government’s new target will see the UK try to cut CO2 emissions by 68 per cent by 2030, compared to 1990. The UK’s previous 2030 climate change target was to [...]
Sterling hits highest level in a year as dollar selloff continues December 3, 2020 Sterling climbed to a one-year high this afternoon, nearing $1.35, as the dollar selloff continued and Brexit talks dragged. The pound advanced beyond $1.3490, its best in a year after the “Boris bounce” which saw Conservatives won an 80-seat majority. Sterling rose 0.4 per cent against the euro to 90.22 pence. “The moves are probably [...]
Exclusive: Government offshoring customs jobs to prep UK firms for Brexit December 3, 2020 A government grant programme is paying for overseas workers to help British logistics firms prepare for Brexit. A loophole in the HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) £50m grant programme means taxpayer funds can be given to train overseas workers as long as their company has a UK base. The Customs Grants Scheme, which is being [...]
‘Zoom anxiety’ infects the nation during the pandemic December 3, 2020 Most of the population has experienced ‘Zoom anxiety’ since March, when working moved online and Zoom became a widely used tool to connect colleagues and friends. Home workers worried about everything from their looks and their Zoom background to having a technical problem and being unable to fix them. Following an 80% increase Google searches [...]
Multiple casualties after large explosion at water plant near Bristol December 3, 2020 A large explosion at a water treatment plant in Avonmouth near Bristol today has caused “multiple casualties”, emergency services have said. A spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue Service, which is in attendance at the scene, said that the incident was ongoing. She confirmed that the blast had caused multiple casualties with serious injuries, but [...]
Ryanair buys 75 newly cleared Boeing 737 Max planes December 3, 2020 Ryanair has ordered 75 new 737 Max aircraft from Boeing, just weeks after the plane was finally cleared to fly again. The new order means that Ryanair will buy 210 of the planes in total, with a value of over $22bn. Until last month the 737 Max had been grounded for nearly two years after [...]
Goin’ underground: Tube journeys jump a third as lockdown ends December 3, 2020 The number of Tube journeys jumped a third yesterday compared to last week as the national lockdown restrictions were finally lifted. According to data from Transport for London (TfL), there were 2.64m taps in-and-out of Tube stations yesterday, 33 per cent higher than on the same day last week. That’s roughly a third of the [...]
