Financial protection for holidays surges in importance amid pandemic, says aviation watchdog December 29, 2021 Financial protection for holidays has surged in importance over the pandemic, with many families relying on the safeguard amid sudden restrictions. Nearly 75 per cent of holidaymakers consider ATOL protection more important now than before Covid-19 began curbing travel, research by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has found. The industry watchdog urged families who [...]
Aldi to bolster British suppliers, injecting £3.5bn a year into home grown businesses December 29, 2021 Aldi is set to bolster its UK-based suppliers next year, becoming the latest in a number of businesses trying to bring their supply chains closer to home. In recruiting more than 100 more suppliers in 2022, the move forms part of the supermarket chain’s bid commitment to increase its spend with suppliers on British soil [...]
Pubs and restaurants swallow £10,000 losses in week before Christmas December 29, 2021 Hospitality venues lost more than £10,000 on average in the week before Christmas, the latest data has revealed. Christmas Day takings plunged 60 per cent for pubs, bars and restaurants, industry body UKHospitality found, as the latest Covid-19 wave saw ministers urging a cautious Christmas. London’s hospitality scene has been hit the hardest, the industry [...]
Johnson pressured to trim self-isolation time as staff absences swamp the NHS December 29, 2021 Prime minister Boris Johnson has been facing increasing pressure to trim self-isolation time in a bid to ease the pressure staff absences are putting on the NHS. It comes as new Covid-19 hit a new record high yesterday, surpassing 117,000. The US also hit new record infections, as it halves the isolation time for those [...]
Hong Kong national security police arrest six in media outlet raid December 29, 2021 Hundreds of Hong Kong national security police arrested at least six current and former staff at the office of an online pro-democracy media outlet in the early hours of this morning. It forms part of the Beijing’s independent media crackdown, with Stand News its latest target for its alleged “conspiracy to publish seditious publications”. The [...]
Japan wants boots on the moon by the end of the decade December 28, 2021 Japan has revised its space schedule today, which shows it wanting boots on the moon by the end of the decade. The ambition, part of the US-led Artemis programme, will see the first ever non-American on the moon. “Not only is space a frontier that gives people hopes and dreams, but it also provides a [...]
London Omicron wave could push NHS absences to 40 per cent of workforce December 28, 2021 The latest Covid-19 wave in the capital could see as much as 40 per cent of its NHS workforce off sick, a London University professor has warned. It would be a “worst case scenario”, chair of healthcare and workforce modelling at London Southbank University, Professor Alison Leary told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme [...]
Collision risk: China files official UN complaint against US’ space etiquette December 28, 2021 China has filed an official complaint with the United Nations regarding the US’ space etiquette. Two near collisions involving SpaceX’s Starlink Internet Services and the China Space Station on July 1 and October 21 prompted the filing. China’s foreign minister urged the US to act responsibly, after it accused it of ignoring its obligations to [...]
Liz Truss frontrunner to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative leader December 28, 2021 Foreign secretary Liz Truss has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed prime minister Boris Johnson among Conservative party leaders, a new poll has revealed. Truss, the former trade secretary until Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle in Septmber, has inched ahead of chancellor Rishi Sunak, according to a Survey by Conservative Home. A little over 23 per cent [...]
Nasa readies to launch $10bn James Webb Space Telescope on Christmas morning December 24, 2021 Nasa is readying to launch its $10bn James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on Christmas morning, which is set to revolutionise how we view space. The telescope, known as Webb, will be the first major space observatory since the Hubble Space Telescope, which launched more than three decades ago. It is also Nasa’s attempt to unravel [...]