Government working with Heathrow on coronavirus testing August 19, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock said the government is working with Heathrow Airport on its plan to roll out testing of passengers to help end the two week quarantine for international travellers. The airport is reportedly planning to test passengers to help allow them avoid the 14-day quarantine for travellers arriving in the UK from countries [...]
Ebor Festival to kick off with great Aplomb August 18, 2020 OPENING a fantastic four days of racing on the Knavesmire is the Sky Bet And Symphony Group Handicap (1:45pm), where a field of 22 are set to dash for home over York’s five and a half furlong track. All bar one of the last six winners have returned at double figure odds and last year’s [...]
Dancin Inthestreet can Make My Day at York August 18, 2020 FOLLOWING what’s set to be a mouth-watering renewal of the Juddmonte International, MAKE MY DAY looks a fine bet in the Sky Bet Handicap (3.45pm). The four-year-old was a taking winner on his first start for Ralph Beckett at York last time, havingpreviously been trained by John Gosden. He couldn’t have been much more impressive that day and [...]
A-levels debacle: Williamson expects to stay in post ‘over the coming year’ August 18, 2020 Education secretary Gavin Williamson has sought to defend the government’s U-turn on A-level and GCSE grading, suggesting the blame lies with the body that decided on the original algorithm. Williamson also said he expected to remain in post “over the coming year”, amid calls for him to step down as a result of the fiasco. [...]
Debenhams draws up contingency plans for liquidation August 16, 2020 Debenhams’ owners have begun drawing up plans for the liquidation of the department store, which could threaten thousands of jobs. The retailer is understood to have appointed Hilco Capital, which specialises in restructuring and refinancing firms, as a contingency plan. Hilco’s appointment was first reported by Sky News and was described over the weekend as [...]
Grant Shapps: ‘No choice’ but to impose quarantine rules on France August 14, 2020 Transport secretary Grant Shapps has said that ministers had no choice but to remove France from the list of countries exempt from quarantine rules after a spike in coronavirus cases. The restrictions, which were announced late last night, come into effect tomorrow morning at 4 o’clock. Speaking to Sky News, Shapps said: “It’s a dynamic [...]
UK signs deal for 90m more coronavirus vaccine doses August 14, 2020 The UK government has signed a deal for 90m more coronavirus vaccine doses from US biotech company Novavax and Belgian pharma giant Janssen. That means the UK has now agreed deals for a stockpile of 340m vaccine doses, and six different types of coronavirus vaccines. The government did not reveal how much it has agreed [...]
Social media news consumption drops as trust declines August 13, 2020 The number of people accessing news through social media has fallen in the last year as trust in online platforms has slipped, new figures have revealed. The proportion of Brits using social media sites to stay up to date with the latest stories slipped to 45 per cent in 2020, down from 49 per cent [...]
Coronavirus: Amazon donates £500,000 to Fleabag theatre fund August 13, 2020 A fund set up by two Fleabag stars to support theatre workers affected by the coronavirus crisis has received a £500,000 donation from Amazon Prime Video. Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Olivia Colman said they were “utterly blown away” by the “extraordinary” level of support. The donation forms part of a $6m (£4.6m) commitment from the US [...]
More than one third of A-level results downgraded as Gavin Williamson comes under fire August 13, 2020 Around 35 per cent of A-level results have been downgraded by one grade, figures have revealed. The students affected will receive a lower grade than their teachers predicted due to the Joint Council for Qualifications standardising the results based on historical data. Despite this, exam watchdog Ofqual has said performance across the country has been [...]