British Isles
Anti-vaccine protesters
20 Jan 2022
‘Sovereign citizen defence’ uses obsolete ancient law to challenge Covid regulations. They distribute fake legal documents to teachers, parents, and health workers outside schools and hospitals, accusing the Government of ‘vaccine genocide’. ‘Sovereign citizens' and ‘freemen…
PM under pressure
13 Jan 2022
About thirty people including Boris Johnson attended a ‘bring-your-own-drink’ party in Downing Street’s garden during the first lockdown. The gathering - and others that had happened under Covid restrictions - are now subject to an independent…
Struggling to treat patients safely
13 Jan 2022
Patricia Marquis, of the Royal College of Nursing, said the NHS was clearly ‘struggling to treat patients safely’. NHS medical director Prof Stephen Powis said the Omicron variant was putting huge pressures on hospitals, not just…
Hope for the Countryside: Cumbria
13 Jan 2022
In a recent TV documentary series, the presenter met people living and working in various locations in Cumbria, from high on the fells to the rivers, flood plains, and urban settings. In one episode he met…
Schools struggle with staffing shortages
13 Jan 2022
England’s schools are grappling with what it means to live with coronavirus. In some places, staffing shortages are so dire that retirees were urged to return to duty. Secondary schools must now test students for Covid…
Tom Tugendhat will chair a foreign affairs select committee to look into the Government’s apparent inability to crack down on money-laundering. Russian oligarchs’ use of London to launder their fortunes will come under renewed scrutiny. The…