Vodafone secures share of £30m government funding to develop remotely-operated drones January 19, 2021 A consortium of 16 companies including Vodafone has won a share of £30m in government funding to develop remotely-operated drones that could be used to test nuclear sites across the UK. The project, led by sees.ai — a tech company specialising in command and control systems for drones — will explore whether operators based in [...]
Sadiq Khan backs CBI’s calls for furlough extension January 19, 2021 The mayor of London has backed calls from the CBI for further financial support for businesses, saying current deadlines create a "financial cliff edge"
London schools could be first to reopen in ‘regional return’ for pupils, says medical adviser January 19, 2021 Schools in London could be among the first to reopen after England’s third national lockdown as infection rates across the capital continue to decline, the deputy chief medical officer has said. Speaking to MPs at an education committee meeting, Dr Jenny Harries said there would “likely” be regional differences in Covid measures once England exits [...]
Scotland extends lockdown until at least mid-February January 19, 2021 Scotland has extended its nationwide lockdown until at least the middle of February, first minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced. The Scottish premier told MSPs that transmission of the virus appeared to be on the decline, but was still too high to lift restrictions. Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Sturgeon said: “The Cabinet decided this morning [...]
Lloyd’s of London insurer Canopius ‘plans stock market float’ January 19, 2021 Canopius Group, one of Lloyd’s of London’s largest insurers, is planning a stock market flotation in London that could value the company at as much as £2bn, according to reports. The London-headquarters company, which has offices in seven countries including Bermuda, China and Singapore, has approached investment banks about working on an initial public offering [...]
British lorry drivers now need negative Covid test to enter Denmark and Netherlands January 19, 2021 Hauliers will now need to provide a negative coronavirus test before entering Denmark and the Netherlands, the government has announced. All drivers of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) have been told they will be eligible for free Covid tests at specialist sites across the country. However, just four out of 35 of the sites will run [...]
Dido Harding defends £1,000-a-day consultants for Test and Trace January 18, 2021 NHS Test and Trace boss Dido Harding has defended spending upwards of £1,000-a-day on consultants for the beleaguered contact tracing programme. During a grilling from the Public Accounts Committee, Harding told MPs she felt it was “appropriate” to bring in external help in “extreme emergency circumstances using short-term contingent labour and consultants for some of [...]
Patient admitted to hospital ‘every 30 seconds’ as Covid hospitalisations hit record January 18, 2021 “Someone is admitted to hospital with coronavirus every 30 seconds,” the health secretary has said, as hospitalisations continue to hit fresh heights amid the rapid spread of new Covid mutations. There are currently 37,475 people in UK hospitals with coronavirus, with more than a tenth on ventilators. “That is the highest that it’s been throughout [...]
London ‘past the peak’ of coronavirus as infections fall January 18, 2021 Coronavirus infections appear “to have peaked in London”, a leading scientist has said, as the number of new cases has seen a dramatic drop across the capital. Dr Rupert Pearse, from the Intensive Care Society, told the BBC: “[Rates vary] a lot around the country and it varies a lot between hospitals, and that’s quite [...]
Exclusive: Government scraps ‘game-changing’ antibody tests at NHS sites January 17, 2021 The government has quietly scrapped antibody tests at NHS sites, City A.M. can reveal, despite calls to increase testing of immunity levels alongside the vaccine rollout. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) yesterday deleted a section from its website advising people on how to get free antibody tests at community clinics, mobile testing [...]
