Covid-19: UK sets new record of daily deaths with 1,610 dead in last 24 hours
England and Scotland announced new national lockdowns on Jan. 4 in a bid to stem a surge in cases after the discovery of a more transmissible UK variant of the coronavirus late last year.
Reuters, London
PUBLISHED ON JAN 19, 2021 10:57 PM IST
Britain reported a record number of deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday with 1,610 people dying within 28 days of positive coronavirus test, exceeding the previous peak set last week.
The number was steeply up from the 599 deaths reported in Monday's official figures. There is often a lag in reporting new deaths after the weekend.
There were 33,355 new cases recorded, down from the 37,535 reported on Monday.
England and Scotland announced new national lockdowns on Jan. 4 in a bid to stem a surge in cases after the discovery of a more transmissible UK variant of the coronavirus late last year.
The lockdown has seen new cases come down from a seven-day average peak of around 60,000 new daily cases on January 7, though health officials have warned that the numbers of deaths will rise even as reported cases start to come down.
"Whilst there are some early signs that show our sacrifices are working, we must continue to strictly abide by the measures in place," said Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England.
"By reducing our contacts and staying at home we will see a fall in the number of infections over time."
Government figures showed that 4,266,577 people had received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. The UK is hoping to vaccinate 15 million high-risk people by the middle of February.
India calls on Canada to ensure safety of Indo-Canadians
UPDATED ON MAR 04, 2021 08:35 PM IST
This communication comes in the wake of reports of threat and intimidation against Indo-Canadians by pro-Khalistani elements in the country
New Zealand police charge man after threat against mosques attacked in 2019
Posted by Kunal Gaurav | Reuters
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 08:28 PM IST
Police said an online threat was made this week on the 4chan website against the Al Noor mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre.
EU wants employers to report pay levels to fix gender gap
AP
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 08:27 PM IST
- Even though the gender pay gap across the 27-nation bloc has been reduced to 14% for people doing exactly the same work, the European Commission wants to eliminate the disparity by imposing specific rules to make pay levels public.
US jobless claims tick up to 745,000 as layoffs remain high
AP
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 08:25 PM IST
- 4.3 million Americans are receiving traditional state unemployment benefits. Counting supplemental federal unemployment programs that were established to soften the economic damage from the virus, an estimated 18 million people are collecting some form of jobless aid.
Boris Johnson gives up ‘late-night cheese’ to lose 14 pounds
Posted by Kunal Gaurav | Bloomberg, London
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 08:23 PM IST
In a video posted on Instagram, Johnson said he had lost “quite a lot” of weight by eating fewer carbohydrates and going for early-morning runs.
GOP state lawmakers seek to nullify federal gun limits
Posted by Harshit Sabarwal | AP
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 08:16 PM IST
Legislation in at least a dozen states seeks to nullify any new restrictions, such as ammunition limits or a ban on certain types of weapons. Some bills would make it a crime for local police officers to enforce federal gun laws.
Strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake shakes New Zealand, tsunami warning issued
Reuters, Wellington
UPDATED ON MAR 04, 2021 08:26 PM IST
Tsunami waves were possible within 300 km (180 miles) of the quake's epicentre, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
China's parliament to discuss Hong Kong electoral reform
Posted by Harshit Sabarwal | AFP
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 07:38 PM IST
Official news agency Xinhua said the National People's Congress (NPC) would deliberate a draft decision on "improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region".
Gunmen kill 7 workers, bomb kills doctor: Afghan official
AP, Kabul
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 07:30 PM IST
- In Thursday's bombing in Jalalabad, the female doctor was killed while on her way to work at the provincial hospital's maternity ward.
Huawei CFO lawyer says Donald Trump comments a 'salvo' in trade war
AP, Vancouver
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 07:05 PM IST
The US accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of US sanctions.
European Union sets itself jobs, training and equality targets for 2030
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:45 PM IST
The EU executive arm said the European Union should boost employment to 78% in 2030 from 73% in 2019, halve the gap between the number of employed women and men and cut the number of young people neither working nor studying to 9% from 12.6%
Most African countries to begin vaccination drives by end of March: WHO
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:43 PM IST
- The world's poorest continent faces logistical and financial obstacles to securing all the vaccines it needs, but the WHO-led COVAX facility has begun to bear fruit.
UK police rule out criminal inquiry into 1995 Princess Diana interview
Posted by Kunal Gaurav | Reuters, London
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:39 PM IST
Diana's interview with journalist Martin Bashir, watched by more than 20 million viewers in Britain, shocked the nation when she admitted to an affair.
Germany approves AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for people over 65 years of age
Reuters, Berlin
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:37 PM IST
Germany declined initially to authorise AstraZeneca's vaccine for those aged above 65, saying there was a lack of evidence from clinical trials confirming its effectiveness.
Hong Kong removed from annual index of the world's freest economies
AFP
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 06:33 PM IST
The announcement is a reputational blow for Hong Kong and comes as Beijing ramps up its bid to quash dissent after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.