Ashworth on schools announcement: ‘It has been such a mess’
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth has described the government’s latest announcement on schools in England as “a confused mess”.
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth has described the government’s latest announcement on schools in England as “a confused mess”.
Out-of-form Borussia Dortmund's title hopes could be a distant dream by Friday night after their game at Borussia Moenchengladbach, having already dropped 10 points behind leaders Bayern Munich at the halfway mark of the season. Dortmund slumped to a 2-1 defeat to direct rivals Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday to lose further ground, staying fourth on 29 points and having a mountain to climb if they are to have any chances of remaining in the running for the league crown. The appointment of former assistant Edin Terzic following the sacking of coach Lucien Favre in December has failed to yield any major returns with the team having won three of their six league games under him, and only one of their last three.
India will give millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine to South Asian countries in the next few weeks, government sources said on Thursday, drawing praise from its neighbours and pushing back against China's dominating presence in the region. Free shipments of AstraZeneca's vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, the world's biggest producer of vaccines, have begun arriving in the Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Creating an atmosphere of calm and serenity has never felt more important.
Switzerland's biggest crematorium is bracing itself for a renewed spike in coronavirus deaths as new variants of the virus drive up infection rates around the country, while striving to maintain the conditions for saying peaceful goodbyes. Crematorium Nordheim in Zurich processed 860 bodies in December, 45% more than normal, and was forced to extend its daily operating hours and conduct cremations on Saturdays as the virus took its toll, particularly on the elderly. Across Switzerland the number of infections has surpassed 500,000 out of a population of 8.6 million, causing nearly 8,200 deaths.
England captain Joe Root has warned his players not to get ahead of themselves and to continue improving as they seek to wrap up the series against Sri Lanka in the second and final test at Galle International Stadium on Friday. England won the first match at the same venue by seven wickets in a dominant performance to record a fourth successive away victory for the first time in 64 years. Another victory on a famously difficult ground for visiting teams would be a feather in the cap and a big boost ahead of England's four-test series in India that follows directly after.
The fire department of Madrid, Spain, has shared footage from inside the building where an explosion killed at least three people and injured 11 on January 20.At least four floors of the building on Toledo Street were destroyed in the blast. Local news reports said a gas leak was the cause.This footage, by Bomberos Madrid, shows scenes from inside and outside the damaged building as fire crews worked through the debris.Firefighters were set to continue clearing debris on January 21, the department said. Credit: Bomberos Madrid via Storyful
The toll from a powerful explosion caused by a gas leak that gutted a building in a residential part of Madrid rose to four on Thursday after a priest died from his injuries.
No one relishes the COVID-19 epidemic and the death it has brought, but Philippe Gallay, boss of one of the world's biggest snowshoe manufacturers, acknowledges it has been good for business. In France, where Gallay's TSL firm is based, and in other countries, officials stung by virus clusters in ski resorts have closed chair lifts, button lifts and cable cars at ski resorts. With no mechanical means to lift them up the slopes, skiers and snowboarders have resorted to an old-school solution: the humble snow shoe.
The inauguration of US president Joe Biden marks a new day for the US on climate change, and CEOs and other business leaders can help.
Shanghai authorities began evacuating a residential neighbourhood near the historic Bund riverfront after Chinese officials discovered at least three new coronavirus cases on Thursday.
The British UCI Women’s Continental Cycling Team will be racing on Ribble Endurance SL R bikes
KUCHING, Jan 21 — The state government today extended the 11 measures under Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS 5.0) for another six months, starting this month, to help mitigate the impact of the...
Rural clinics face unique challenges in connecting perishable vaccines with residents who often live miles away.
Peter Cattaneo will direct and Lesley Manville will star in a six-part series adaptation of Anthony Horowitz’s acclaimed crime novel “Magpie Murders” for PBS Masterpiece and BritBox U.K. The U.K.’s Sony Pictures Television-backed Eleventh Hour Films (“Alex Rider”) is producing. Horowitz will adapt his novel. “Magpie Murders” was published in 2016 and appeared on several […]
The number of people employed by the coal mining industry has fallen 15% since Trump took office in January 2017.
The 24-nation tournament, a major revenue generator for European football's governing body and the national federations, was postponed by 12 months due to the pandemic. The tournament is scheduled to start on June 11 in 12 cities across Europe but Rummenigge said the concept was dreamed up before the novel coronavirus outbreak. "We must not forget that the idea of this special hosting of the tournament came about when the coronavirus didn't exist ... it was an initiative of the EU Commission that wanted to have football shown all over Europe," he told German newspaper Muenchner Merkur/TZ.
Standing out in a crowd of glamorously dressed guests, Bernie Sanders showed up for the US presidential inauguration in a heavy winter jacket and patterned mittens -- with an AFP photo of the veteran leftist spawning the first viral meme of the Biden era.
Hong Kong’s annual Lunar New Year night parade will be replaced with an online shopping portal, organisers have announced, as social-distancing rules amid the ongoing fourth wave of coronavirus infections prompt more muted celebrations to welcome the Year of the Ox.The Lunar New Year night parade – first held in 1996, and usually a vibrant cultural event showcasing an array of international performances – will not be held in Tsim Sha Tsui for the second year in a row. Instead, it will be replaced by an “online mart” held between February 8 and 26 – one bereft of even live-streamed performances.The event will cost the Hong Kong Tourism Board HK$3.6 million, less than a tenth of the HK$42 million (US$5.4 million) it splashed out in 2020 to replace the annual parade with a four-day carnival over fears of civil unrest.Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.Locals can use the mart to purchase Lunar New Year gift boxes featuring goods from more than 70 local and international brands, traditional festive dishes from over 20 luxury restaurants and dining discounts at nearly 500 restaurants in the city.Tourism Board executive director Dane Cheng Ting-yat said in a statement that major events had been moved online in response to the current coronavirus situation in the city.“As far as this year’s campaign is concerned, we will take the traditions online and infuse them with innovative elements, sending the public our festive blessings in a whole new fashion,” Cheng said.Mason Hung Chung-hing, the board’s general manager of event and product development, said at an online press conference on Thursday that the three-week Lunar New Year drive, titled “Fortunes at Home”, would feature crossover products with traditional local and emerging brands curated by marketing firm FEED.Some products include handmade herbal tea candies co-created by the 70-year-old Kung Lee Sugar Cane Drink brand and Spanish confectioner Papabubble starting at HK$108 per set. Shoppers can also order Fu Gui chicken, stuffed with glutinous rice, from The Legacy House at Rosewood Hong Kong for takeaway at HK$1,388. Florists have until Friday to decide whether to join Lunar New Year flower fairsLate last year, the tourism board held a five-week Wine and Dine Festival using a similar format that attracted some 850,000 attendees, about 30 per cent of whom were from overseas, it revealed on Thursday.Current social-distancing rules – including compulsory mask-wearing and a two-person cap on public gatherings and groups in restaurants – have been extended to at least Wednesday, subject to the review of health authorities.Meanwhile, Hong Kong health officials on Tuesday made a U-turn on their previous decision to cancel annual Lunar New Year flower markets, moving instead to allow the events to go forward with tightened crowd-control measures after an uproar from local farmers and vendors.This article Coronavirus: Hong Kong’s annual Lunar New Year night parade to be replaced by online shopping platform first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
A Tokyo court rejected on Thursday a lawsuit by Japanese living in Europe who sought to retain their nationality even after taking foreign citizenship, instead of losing it automatically, as happens now. Japan has been negative about dual citizenship, requiring citizens with more than a single nationality to choose one, even though more nations in recent decades have allowed dual citizenship, or turned a blind eye to it. "I had to lose my Japanese citizenship just before I went to study in university in Japan," said one of the plaintiffs, Yuki Shiraishi, who had lived in Switzerland, where her parents had migrated.
The pop singer performed her seminal 2010 hit 'Firework" in a red, white, and blue gown as the newly inaugurated President and Vice President looked on