Plus, would you buy steak from a vending machine?
| | Schools to return on 8 March as PM announces 'cautious' reopening |
| | |
| | | | | The prime minister will announce today how England's third national lockdown will end - but those hoping for a quick return to the pub may be disappointed.
It is thought that all schools in England will reopen on 8 March. At the same time, two people will be allowed to meet outside in public - for example, a picnic in a park. By 29 March, it's thought up to six people, or two households, will be allowed to meet outdoors, including in gardens. Grassroots sport could also restart.
However, Boris Johnson has said the reopening will be "cautious" and will depend on four conditions - including the vaccination programme, and any new variants. You can read more about the routes out of lockdown here. Meanwhile in Scotland, the youngest pupils will return to school this morning - read all the detail here. | | |
| |
|
|
| | 'They wanted to jail a banker - I was him' |
| | |
| |
| | | In 2015, the Serious Fraud Office called Tom Hayes the "ringmaster of an international conspiracy to rig interest rates". He was sentenced to 11 years in prison - making him the first UK banker to be jailed since the financial crash. Now, after serving half his sentence, he has given his first TV interview since being released. "At the time it was expedient that, for political reasons, a banker went to prison - and I was that banker," he says. "I was given an egregious sentence and my life destroyed ." | | |
| |
|
|
| | Fans boo vaccine at Australian Open |
| | |
| |
| | | Australia's government has criticised fans at the Australian Open for booing the mention of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout. The booing happened during the awards ceremony at the men's final. Australia is just beginning its national inoculation programme, and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack called the crowd's behaviour "disgusting". While the vaccine has broad support in Australia, it has also sparked protests. On Saturday, small crowds of anti-vaccination demonstrators marched in cities including Melbourne and Sydney. | | |
| |
|
|
| | | | | | | | | | | What's perhaps most interesting about the four tests for Boris Johnson's reopening plan is that a rise in infection levels is not, in itself, a barrier to easing restrictions further.
Some members of the scientific community, as well as some teaching unions, believe any increase should not be tolerated.
But, instead, infection rates are only being seen as a problem by the government if they risk a surge in hospitalisations.
That's important. The government's advisers do not consider schools to be a significant driver of infections. But reopening to all pupils could certainly lead to some increase.
The rollout of the vaccination programme, however, weakens the direct link between infections and hospital admissions. | | |
|
|
| |
| | | | | Nick Triggle | | BBC health correspondent | | |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| | | | | | | All the front pages focus on Boris Johnson's plan for the end of lockdown in England. The Daily Mail calls it the "slow march to freedom". The Guardian says "social contact with loved ones will take precedence over the reopening of shops and hospitality". Read all the front pages here. | | |
| |
|
|
|
| | If you watch one thing today |
| | | | | | |
| |
|
|
| | If you listen to one thing today |
| | | | | | |
| |
|
|
| | If you read one thing today |
| | | | | | |
| |
|
|
| | Need something different? |
| | |
| |
| | | Would you buy a "surf and turf" meal from a vending machine? Our reporter in Singapore did just that - read his review here. One place you won't get a steak is Lyon's schools - the mayor has banned meat from the menus. The government has accused him of "serving up ideology".
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| | | Let us know what you think of this newsletter by emailing [email protected]. If you’d like to recommend it to a friend, forward this email. New subscribers can sign up here. | | |
| |
|
