Plus... excitement, relief and cocktails where lockdown lifted
| | | | All over-50s and those in high-risk groups in the UK have been offered a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, in time for Thursday's target, according to the government. It is, says Boris Johnson, "another hugely significant milestone". The prime minister says the programme will now prioritise second doses, a record 475,230 of which were administered on Saturday to bring to 7.6 million the number of people fully vaccinated. Under-50s in Northern Ireland have already been asked to book appointments, with those in other UK nations set to follow. Whether the government can meet its aim of offering a first dose to all adults by the end of July will depend on supply. "What's not known is to what extent supplies of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will fill the gap caused this month by supply problems with the AstraZeneca doses," says our health editor Hugh Pym. England starts using the Moderna jab - following Wales and Scotland - at 21 sites today. The UK vaccination programme in graphics | |
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| Variant cluster in south London |
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| The UK's largest surge testing operation yet is under way in two London boroughs with a combined population of 650,000, after confirmation of a "significant" number of coronavirus cases involving the South African variant. People aged 11 and over who live, work or travel through Wandsworth and Lambeth are being urged to get a PCR test - that's the one where you wait about a day for results - on top of using twice-weekly rapid tests. So far, there have been 44 confirmed and 30 probable cases of the variant, which it's feared could spread more quickly and affect how well vaccines work. | |
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| Call for school library boost |
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| Her children's books tell you How to Train Your Dragon. And now Cressida Cowell is trying a little instruction on the prime minister. In an open letter, the children's laureate urges Boris Johnson to set aside £100m a year for primary school libraries. The letter, also signed by her predecessors Michael Rosen, Quentin Blake and Jacqueline Wilson, notes how one in eight primary schools has no library space. "If you want to level up, libraries have to be a key part of that," Cowell says. She argues reading for joy - being "one of the two key factors in children's future economic success" - is as important as PE, which enjoys guaranteed funding. | |
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| | | | | Multiple sources have reported large Russian military movements towards the eastern Ukraine border and into Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in March 2014. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said moving troops across Russian territory was an "internal affair" which should not concern anyone... [and] accused Ukraine of staging "provocations". According to the Ukrainian presidency, Russia now has about 40,000 on the eastern border and about 40,000 in Crimea. So is this an invasion force? It could be, but analysts say a big invasion is unlikely. Infiltration would be more Russia's tried and trusted method. | |
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| | | | Tributes to Prince Philip from the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex lead several papers, with the Daily Mirror's headline reading: "We'll miss you, grandpa." The Sun prints quotes from both Prince William and Prince Harry over an image of their grandfather with William's eldest son, Prince George. For the Metro, their words are heartfelt and moving but could not have been more different, with Prince William praising a "lifetime of service" and Prince Harry referring to "banter". Other papers lead on former Prime Minister David Cameron's reaction to an inquiry into his lobbying on behalf of a finance company. | |
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| | | Daunte Wright Officer who fired fatal shot 'meant to deploy Taser' |
| | | | Fukushima Japan approves releasing wastewater into ocean |
| | | | Kuenssberg Review into Cameron lobbying may change little |
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| If you watch one thing today |
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| If you listen to one thing today |
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| If you see one thing today |
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| Need something different? |
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| They're flown by hobbyists, professional photographers and filmmakers and in high-tech warfare - now drones are being raced in a sport supporters say is on the cusp of the big time. Find out what the fuss is about. And meet the activists working to conserve the kelp forest where Bafta-winning Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher was filmed. | |
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| | | 1964 Sidney Poitier becomes the first black actor to win a best actor Oscar, for his role in Lilies of the Field. |
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