Covid 19: First and second jabs surge as Omicron spreads across the UK December 26, 2021 Nearly a quarter of a million people came forward for their first jab in the run up to Christmas - a 46 per cent increase on the previous week.
Now Christmas travel hit by virus-related staff shortages December 25, 2021 Thousands of flights have been cancelled over the Christmas weekend as Omicron’s spread leads to staff shortages. According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, some 1,779 flights have been cancelled on Christmas Day and a further 402 for Boxing Day. Airlines are struggling to staff their full roster of flights as the new variant spreads [...]
‘Glimmer of Christmas hope’ as mild Omicron variant leads to less severely ill Covid patients, says relieved UK health chief December 25, 2021 It seems increasingly the case that the Omicron variant may be less likely to result in serious illness than the Delta strain of coronavirus, thereby offering a “glimmer of Christmas hope”, according to UK Health Security Agency chief Jenny Harries yesterday morning. Dr Harries told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday: “There is a glimmer [...]
Last-minute Christmas shoppers rush to central London as capital readies to slow down for the holidays December 24, 2021 Many Londoners rushed to Oxford Street and other major shopping districts in the capital this afternoon for their last-minute Christmas shopping, as the country readies to shut slow for Christmas Day tomorrow. Despite the army shoppers this afternoon, footfall in central London has dropped more rapidly than elsewhere in the country over the last week [...]
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 [...]
Chris Martin announces the end of Coldplay: Band won’t make any more music together after 2025 December 24, 2021 Coldplay’s frontman has said his band will release their last record in 2025 and plan to “only tour” after that. During a special BBC Radio 2 Christmas show with presenter Jo Whiley, Chris Martin has said that Coldplay will not make any more music as a band after 2025. Martin made the announcement during the [...]
EP: 104 Kempton, Chepstow, Wetherby & Irish Christmas Meetings December 24, 2021 The King George has produced many special winners over the years and this Christmas should be another enthralling renewal of the great race during the two-day Winter Racing Festival. Owner Chris Giles joins us to discuss his trio of weekend runners at Kempton and Lucinda Russell tells us all about Ahoy Seńor who runs on [...]
Ed Sheeran’s prototype Equals guitar fetches £52k in charity raffle in singer’s Suffolk hometown of Framlingham December 24, 2021 A charity raffle to help a school in Ed Sheeran’s hometown is making headlines this morning as the singer’s prototype Equals guitar raised £52,765. The 30-year-old pop star worked with Northern Ireland-based guitar-maker George Lowden to create a signature instrument to mark his “coming of age” album Equals. The Shivers hitmaker donated it to be [...]
As fat from Christmas turkeys could fill 3,000 bathtubs, Brits urged not to pour it down the sink December 24, 2021 South West Water is urging customers this morning to avoid a foul festive season by not pouring oils and grease down the sink. The fat from Christmas turkeys could fill nearly 3,000 bathtubs, according to the water company. A medium-sized turkey produces up to three-quarters of a pint of fat which, if put down pipes, [...]
Tens of thousands of Monzo customers unable to access their funds as bank goes down December 24, 2021 Thousands of Brits were unable to access their money as Monzo Bank has gone down, leaving customers shut out of their accounts and unable to make or receive any payments. The meltdown came just two days before Christmas, with website Downdetector reporting that problems started just after 4pm yesterday afternoon. The issue was country-wide with [...]