A botched-up plan for procuring jabs has dried up stocks and sent prices soaring on the private market. image copyrightGetty Images It took 31-year-old Sneha Marathe half a day to book an appointment online for a Covid vaccine. “It was a game of ‘fastest finger first’,” she says. “The slots filled up in three seconds.” […]
The town has seen a sharp spike in Covid cases – driven by the emergence of the Indian variant. image copyrightGetty Images Cases of the Indian Covid variant have more than doubled in the past week, figures from Public Health England show. Bolton in Greater Manchester is one town that has seen a sharp spike […]
Local and regional restrictions to tackle the Indian variant cannot be ruled out, ministers say. image copyrightReuters Second vaccine doses could be brought forward and local restrictions introduced to help tackle the Indian variant in the worst-affected areas, the government has said. It said “economic and social” restrictions could be reimposed in parts of England […]
Anum Qaisar-Javed wins the by-election for the SNP after holding off a challenge from Scottish Labour. The SNP has held one of its Westminster seats in a by-election after seeing off a challenge from Labour. Anum Qaisar-Javed won the Airdrie and Shotts seat for the SNP with a reduced majority of 1,757 over her Labour […]
It comes after the Queen’s Speech failed to give detailed proposals for the new system. image copyrightGetty Images MPs have warned they will be “extremely disappointed” if the PM fails to produce a plan to reform adult social care in England by the end of the year. The warning follows this week’s Queen’s Speech which […]
As the DUP prepares to select a new leader, Chris Page says the party has detected worrying signs. The symbols of unionism are never far away in Lisburn. In the city centre, there’s an “orange arch” – a structure bearing emblems of local branches of the pro-union marching organisation, the Orange Order. It features a […]
Women giving birth are exempt from face mask rules – but not all maternity staff know the rules. Wearing a face mask has become part of daily life during the pandemic. But there are some people who are exempt from the rules – and that includes women giving birth. However, Rosie Brown is among those […]
Niamh Foy was unable to speak to classmates at school, but finding her voice led her to help others. Niamh Foy was just three years old when she was diagnosed with selective mutism, a severe anxiety disorder which affected her ability to speak. Once at school, she was unable to talk to her classmates, was […]
Millions of people will be able to hug loved ones again from Monday. But can you minimise the risk? image copyrightJames D. Morgan The rules on hugs are changing. From Monday, close physical contact with people from other households is allowed in England and Scotland – and for millions of people this will be the […]