Babak Belurs

Senin, 21 Juni 2021

Brexit: Ousted DUP leader says he nominated a First Minister against party's wishes to fight 'damaging' Northern Ireland protocol - Sky News

Edwin Poots, the DUP leader ousted after 21 days in the job, has told Sky News he nominated a First Minister against his party's wishes to fight the Brexit Protocol.

In an exclusive interview, he said: "My focus was on the Northern Ireland Protocol first and foremost because constitutionally that is what is damaging Northern Ireland.

"Our best asset at this moment in time in fighting the Protocol is actually having the Assembly."

Mr Poots, who succeeded Arlene Foster as DUP leader in May, nominated Paul Givan to be First Minister last Thursday.

At the same time, his party was voting in a room next door not to nominate until Boris Johnson addresses their concerns about the Protocol.

They were furious that the British government had agreed to table legislation on Irish Language rights at Westminster to keep Sinn Fein on board.

Mr Poots said: "I regret the fall-out from it. I think it was the right thing to do and it's the right thing to do to ensure we have maximum leverage.

"Ultimately it was my intention had we not got success on the Protocol… then I would have been prepared to pull Paul Givan out of that job. That was something which I wished to express but didn't get the opportunity to express."

Asked if he now regretted the ousting of Arlene Foster, Mr Poots replied: "Because I filled the position that Arlene held, people perhaps think I had much greater role in that than I actually had.

"There was lots going on the DUP. There were significant issues there and 85% of the Assembly group had a particular view and that's reflected. I don't wish to make things more difficult for Arlene. She's now moved on."

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who has confirmed he will be a candidate, is front-runner to succeed Mr Poots and become the DUP's third leader in two months.

In a statement, he said: "Now, more than ever, we need to unite in the face of threats posed to Northern Ireland by the Protocol.

"Make no mistake, this is the number one issue facing our country, our people an dour place in the United Kingdom."

If Sir Jeffrey remains the only candidate when nominations close at noon on Tuesday, he will be declared leader-elect.

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2021-06-21 17:37:30Z
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Covid booster jabs plan to be announced in weeks, says Hancock – as trials into scrapping isolation u... - The Sun

COVID booster jab plans will be announced in weeks, Matt Hancock said today.

The Health Secretary also revealed trials on dropping isolation rules for double jabbed people are taking place.

🔵 Read ourcoronavirus live blog for the latest updates

Plans for a vaccine booster programme could be available in a few weeksCredit: Chris Eades

Matt Hancock said the data would be ready soon for a plan to be madeCredit: 3

He said it's "something I want to see", with it being brought in as soon as is "reasonable to do so".

Mr Hancock said the Government is working on the booster programme, and said data should be ready in the next few weeks.

He told BBC Breakfast that second jabs offer very strong protection "but there is more protection still that we think that you can get from a booster jab and we're currently trialling which combinations of jabs are the most effective".

"When we know the results of that, then we will set out the full plans for the booster programme over the autumn," he said.

"We've got to make sure we get the logistics right; for instance, GPs have been so heavily involved in this vaccination effort, but GPs have also got to do their day job, so that's something we're working hard on now, and, in the next few weeks, when we get the clinical data through on what's the most effective combinations to have... then we'll set out all the details of the booster programme for the autumn."

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, warned the health service needs time to plan for vaccine booster campaigns to make them "business as usual" instead of "emergency response".

"There are a bunch of questions that really do need to be answered in terms of looking forward to the next phase," he told Times Radio.

These include: how long protection lasts, whether people can "mix and match" the vaccines they have had, how new vaccines will be incorporated into the vaccine roster.

PLANS TO COME

They will also cover what the level of protection is against new variants and whether vaccines need "tweaking", what the plan is for vaccinating children, and whether the vaccine can be given alongside the flu jab, he said.

Mr Hopson added: "Flu jabs start in September, so if we're going to do one jab in one arm, one jab in the other, we really do need to know quite quickly.

"And that's why we've called today for the Government to do all it can to get us the answers to those questions. We need those answers really pretty quickly if we're to carry on our fantastic success."

It's hoped that the booster jabs will help prevent an autumn wave of the virus in the UK.

People receiving the booster shot will have to be 30 or over and will need to have been jabbed early on in the vaccine programme.

This could mean people over the age of 75, as well as health and care workers would receive the extra jab as part of the trial.

When we know the results of that, then we will set out the full plans for the booster programme over the autumn.
Matt Hancock

So far in the UK 36.9 million people have received a first dose of a coronavirus jab, with 20.8 million now having had a second.

It comes after Boris Johnson is "unlikely" to bring Freedom Day forward and release England from lockdown on July 5, a Cabinet minister warned today.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the PM will "err on the side of caution" and stick to the July 19 date for the great reopening.

And he insisted No 10 is set to once more resist pressure from angry Tory MPs to speed up the lifting of restrictions.

His remarks come after health chiefs warned the end of lockdown “can’t be accelerated to July 5” as England is “probably not in the right place”.

Mr Kwarteng said this morning: "Generally we've stuck to the dates that we've said.

"I remember the previous dates, there was a lot of push to try and get April 12 earlier, May 17 earlier, that didn't happen.

"I would always err on the side of caution and I would look to July 19. It could be before but I think that's unlikely."

And youngsters aged 16 and 17 are to be offered a vaccine before they head back to school in September, The Sun can reveal.

Ministers want to roll out jabs to children for the first time — subject to approval from top medics, which insiders say could come within weeks.

They also want to offer all A-Level and college students aged 16 and 17 a vaccine in August, before they head back to education in the autumn.

Face mask laws and fines to be BINNED from July 19, Matt Hancock reveals

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2021-06-21 09:01:00Z
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COVID-19: Boris Johnson says it's 'looking good' for 19 July - but won't rule out further lockdowns in the winter - Sky News

The prime minister has said it is "looking good" for 19 July to be the "terminus point" for England's coronavirus restrictions - but did not rule out the prospect of further lockdowns in the winter.

"You can never exclude that there will be some new disease, some new horror that we simply haven't budgeted for or accounted for," Boris Johnson said when asked if he could discount the possibility of reimposing COVID-19 measures later this year.

Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world

"But looking at where we are, at the efficacy of the vaccines against all variants that we can currently see, I think it's looking good for 19 July to be that terminus point."

The PM said the country could be in for a "rough winter for all sorts of reasons".

He continued: "Obviously there are big pressures on the NHS, which is all the more reason to reduce the number of COVID cases now, give the NHS the breathing space it needs to get on with dealing with all those other pressures.

"We're certainly going to be putting in the investment to make sure that they can."

Government adviser Dr Susan Hopkins warned at the weekend there may be the need for winter lockdowns if hospitals become "overwhelmed" at some point.

Mr Johnson also played down the prospect of COVID restrictions being lifted early.

When he announced a four-week postponement of step four of England's roadmap out of lockdown - pushing it from 21 June to 19 July - the PM said a review would take place on 5 July to see if action could be taken sooner.

But while Mr Johnson said the vaccination rollout was "going gangbusters", Delta variant case numbers were "sadly going up still".

"It's going up by about 30% a week in cases, hospitalisations are up by roughly the same amount and so, sadly, are ICU admissions into intensive care," he said.

"We've got to be cautious but we'll be following the data the whole time."

Downing Street has also sought to dampen down suggestions of an early unlocking, with the PM's spokesman telling reporters: "We will monitor case data day by day to see if moving forward after two weeks is possible.

"You'll see the data we are looking at - 10,000 cases recorded for the third day in a row on Saturday which is the highest level since 2 February.

"The seven-day average for hospitalisations also continues to rise. ICU intake is also rising."

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Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told Sky News earlier on Monday that lifting restrictions two weeks early was "unlikely".

Generally we have stuck to the dates we have set. I think now I am very focused on 19 July," he said.

The PM also confirmed the government was "looking at" possibly exempting those who have been fully vaccinated from having to quarantine after returning from abroad.

But he played down suggestions a widespread relaxation of restrictions on international travel was in the offing.

"I want to stress that this is going to be - whatever happens - a difficult year for travel," Mr Johnson said.

"There will be hassle, there will be delays, I am afraid, because the priority has got to be to keep the country safe and stop the virus coming back in."

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2021-06-21 11:48:45Z
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Covid booster vaccine plan to come in a few weeks - Matt Hancock - BBC News

Plans for a Covid booster jab programme in the autumn will be set out in the next few weeks, Matt Hancock has said.

The health secretary said ministers were waiting for results from trials of different combinations of vaccines.

It comes after doctors and NHS trusts said planning for a booster rollout must start now as it will involve bigger challenges.

They said many questions needed answering, including how long immunity from the original Covid jab lasts.

The issue of whether children will be vaccinated also still remains, health leaders said.

"We are currently trialling which combinations of jabs are the most effective," Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast.

"In the next few weeks, when we get the clinical data through on what's the most effective combinations to have… then we'll set out all the details for the booster programme for the autumn."

Among the ongoing trials is the UK's Cov-Boost trial, which is testing different combinations of third doses across England.

A senior government source said the UK would also benefit from new vaccines from Novavax and Valneva, which are awaiting approval from the UK's medicines regulator.

So far, nearly 60% of UK adults have had two jabs of the vaccine, meaning they are fully vaccinated, and more than four in five adults have had their first dose.

People have been rushing to get their vaccines in recent days, with more than one million jabs booked on Friday and Saturday in England after vaccinations opened to all over-18s.

Rosi Stamp, aged 25, receives a Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at an NHS Vaccination Clinic at Tottenham Hotspur"s stadium in north London

Ministers have repeatedly said that vaccination is the way out of lockdown, and the delay to England's lockdown ending from 21 June until 19 July was partly to allow more people to get vaccinated.

Some restrictions have been eased on Monday though, the original date for lockdown ending - and what some had dubbed Freedom Day.

The number of guests at a wedding is no longer limited to 30 (although there are capacity rules depending on a venue's size), visiting arrangements for care homes are changing, children can go on overnight trips in groups of 30, and pilots of large events like Euro 2020 games will continue.

And in Wales, rules are also being lifted slightly, including Covid capacity restrictions for music and comedy and the limits on weddings changing in line with a venue's size.

In Northern Ireland, a planned easing of restrictions has been pushed back to at least 5 July, and current rules in Scotland are expected to be extended until mid-July.

The average number of daily confirmed cases of coronavirus is now rising in the UK, with a further 9,284 announced by the government on Sunday. A further six deaths were announced.

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On Monday, Chris Hopson, the head of NHS Providers, which represents NHS hospitals and trusts in England, and Royal College of GPs chairman Martin Marshall said the 19 July target to offer a first dose to all adults was "not so much a finishing line as a staging post".

The government has previously promised there will be a booster programme for the Covid jab - but the health leaders said the prospect of a yearly Covid vaccine would bring "arguably greater challenges", and it was important to know:

How long will protection from the original double doses last - and will boosters be needed?
Will people get the same vaccine as the original one they got?
How will tweaking the vaccines for new variants work?
Will Covid vaccines be tweaked every year, like the flu vaccine, or will it be more frequently?
Will children be vaccinated and if so, when, where and how, because of the need to get consent?

They also said combining the Covid and flu vaccine rollouts - for example a Covid jab in one arm and a flu jab in the other - needed to be explored, but that would make the rollout more complex.

And they said there needed to be investment in proper vaccination venues rather than relying on sports stadiums or community facilities.

"Since flu jabs start in September we need ministers and the JCVI - the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation - to really answer those questions as quickly as possible, so we're ready to administer the jabs we need to in the autumn," Mr Hopson told the BBC.

Mr Hopson and Mr Marshall said there needed to be a sustainable approach to vaccination, which meant the NHS could carry on vaccinating while also doing its other work.

"We cannot just carry on as we are, with an emergency response largely delivered by an overstretched workforce," they said.

They are asking questions rather than coming up with solutions but health leaders have identified a major challenge for the coming winter.

Offering a first dose to all adults by 19 July is seen as just a first step in a long haul with Covid.

Given that booster vaccines will be needed, GPs and NHS trusts want to know the logistics of what will be a complex process on top of the usual winter pressures and dealing with the backlog of non-urgent work.

Doctors and their practice teams have gone the extra mile to help deliver the Covid vaccination programme but they want to ensure day-to-day patient care is not compromised.

The flu season might seem some way off but the normal vaccination campaigns and rollout start in September each year.

Hence the call for ministers to come with some answers and longer term plans soon.

Prof Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the JCVI, which advises UK health departments on vaccination, said decisions on booster jabs would be "based on the best available evidence" but the committee was also conscious of the need for the programme to be planned by the NHS.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme data on how flu and Covid vaccines could react to each other if given together would be available "very soon".

Prof Harnden added that flu could be "potentially a bigger problem" than Covid this winter because of the low prevalence in the last few years, particularly during lockdown, meaning the level of immunity in the population had dropped.

On whether under-18s could be offered a Covid vaccine, he said "we need to think very carefully what the benefits are to children themselves", and the JCVI would be considering this in the next few weeks.

The committee has not yet made a formal recommendation on the matter.

The World Health Organization has previously urged rich countries like the UK to donate doses to poorer countries before organising booster jabs.

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2021-06-21 08:48:58Z
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Minggu, 20 Juni 2021

Covid vaccine: We need answers on autumn booster plan, say health leaders - BBC News

The government must start planning for the autumn booster jab rollout now, doctors and NHS trusts have said - as it will involve bigger challenges.

The doctors said there were many questions that need answering, including how long immunity from the original coronavirus jab lasts, and whether children will be vaccinated.

"We cannot just carry on as we are, with an emergency response," they said.

The government said it was planning for a booster programme later this year.

But it said final decisions on what the rollout would be like depended on the data from ongoing trials.

So far, nearly 60% of UK adults have had two jabs of the vaccine, meaning they are fully vaccinated, and more than four in five adults have had their first dose.

People have been rushing to get their vaccines in recent days, with more than one million jabs booked on Friday and Saturday in England after vaccinations opened to all over-18s.

Clara Bennathan, aged 24, celebrates after receiving a Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at an NHS Vaccination Clinic at Tottenham Hotspur"s stadium in north London.

Ministers have repeatedly said that vaccination is the way out of lockdown, and the delay to England's lockdown ending from 21 June until 19 July was partly to allow more people to get vaccinated.

Some restrictions have been eased, though, on the day that had been dubbed Freedom Day - the original date for lockdown ending.

And in Wales, rules are also being lifted slightly, including Covid capacity restrictions for music and comedy and the limits on weddings changing in line with a venue's size.

However, the average number of daily confirmed cases of coronavirus is now rising in the UK, with a further 9,284 announced by the government on Sunday. A further six deaths were announced.

How long will protection from the original double doses last - and will boosters be needed?
Will people get the same vaccine as the original one they got?
How will tweaking the vaccines for new variants work?
Will Covid vaccines be tweaked every year, like the flu vaccine, or will it be more frequently?
Will children be vaccinated and if so, when, where and how, because of the need to get consent

They also said combining the Covid and flu vaccine rollouts - for example a Covid jab in one arm and a flu jab in the other - needed to be explored, but that would make the rollout more complex.

And they said there needed to be investment in proper vaccination venues rather than relying on sports stadiums or community facilities.

A person receives a dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination centre for those aged 18 and over at the London Stadium, amid the coronavirus pandemic, in east London

"We need to recognise that what comes next is going to be really quite challenging."

Mr Hopson and Mr Marshall said there needed to be a sustainable approach to vaccination, which meant the NHS could carry on vaccinating while also doing its other work.

"We cannot just carry on as we are, with an emergency response largely delivered by an overstretched workforce," they said - and "the window for planning is limited".

A Department of Health spokesman said final decisions on the booster programme would partly depend on the data from ongoing clinical trials such as the UK's Cov-Boost trial.

That trial is testing third doses across England. The first results are expected in September and will help the JCVI take decisions on the booster programme.

The World Health Organization has previously urged rich countries like the UK to donate doses to poorer countries before organising booster jabs. The UK has promised to donate 100 million doses in the next year, although the WHO has called for wealthy countries to give more and give them faster.

Meanwhile, Margaret Keenan, the 91-year-old who became a household name when she became the first person in the world to get the Pfizer-BioNTech jab last December, has spoken to the BBC about her fame, saying "I take it all with a pinch of salt".

She revealed that she has stayed in contact with the nurse who administered the first jab, May Parsons, and the two have become good friends.

"It did feel very important at the time," she said, of getting the jab, and acknowledged that her vaccination gave many people around the world hope.

POSE: The ground-breaking drama shining a light on 1980s New York ball culture
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Boris Johnson's 'science superpower' ambitions see new roles for Sir Patrick Vallance - Sky News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has created new roles for Sir Patrick Vallance and established new science units, in a bid to make the UK a so-called "science superpower".

Sir Patrick will lead the new Office for Science and Technology Strategy, which is tasked with assessing which emerging technologies the nation should back for "strategic advantage".

The prime minister is also establishing and chairing the new National Science & Technology Council, which will decide the direction of the country's use of science and technology.

Alongside his current roles as the government's chief scientific adviser and head of the Government Office for Science, which threw him into the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic response, Sir Patrick will also take up another new role as the national technology adviser.

The new roles are part of government plans to build on "the success of the best UK science throughout the pandemic and beyond" and establish the country as a "science superpower".

The prime minster is asking the whole of government to work with Sir Patrick in these new roles to take insights from the vaccination programme and apply them to other key areas.

These priorities include developing technology to combat the climate crisis by reaching net zero, curing rather than only treating cancer and enhancing security.

Mr Johnson said with the "right direction", the UK could "breathe life into many more scientific and technological breakthroughs".

Sir Patrick said: "The new Office for Science and Technology Strategy will put science and technology right at the heart of policy-making and strengthen the way we work across government to reinforce the position of the UK as a science superpower.

"I look forward to working with the National Science and Technology Council to help identify cutting-edge research and technologies that will deliver strategic advantage for the UK."

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2021-06-20 21:31:41Z
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Hampshire: Man, 52, arrested after two bodies found at property in Basingstoke - Sky News

A 52-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two bodies were found at a property in Hampshire.

A woman in her 20s and a man in his 60s were discovered with serious injuries in Buckland Avenue, Basingstoke, but both died at the scene.

Hampshire Police had been called to the incident in the early hours of this morning.

The victims are yet to be formally identified, but police believe they knew the arrested suspect.

Detective Superintendent Neil Corrigan said: "We understand this incident will come as a shock to the local community.

"Please be reassured that we have a number of officers working hard at the scene and the surrounding areas to establish the exact circumstances, and a man is in custody."

Anyone who lives in the area and has any information or concerns about the incident is being urged to speak with any officer they see, or call Hampshire Police on 101 quoting "Operation Carnation".

Those with information can also anonymously contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or via its anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org

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2021-06-20 16:41:45Z
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Senin, 21 Juni 2021

More on Brexit

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Minggu, 20 Juni 2021

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