In the News
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Britain and France clash over lorry driver tests
Britain is resisting demands by France for all lorry drivers crossing the Channel to have coronavirus tests with a 48-hour turnaround amid concerns it will lead to delays and limit availability for care homes. President Macron is calling for truck drivers to be given PCR tests, which take between...Britain is resisting demands by France for all lorry drivers crossing the Channel to have coronavirus tests with a 48-hour turnaround amid concerns it will lead to delays and limit availability for care homes. President Macron is calling for truck drivers to be given PCR tests, which take between...Britain is resisting demands by France for all lorry drivers crossing the Channel to have coronavirus tests with a 48-hour...
Read the full storycoronavirus | Q&A
What is the best way to get the border open?
France and the UK have begun negotiations about reopening the border between the two countries and whether it is possible to test lorry drivers for coronavirus before allowing them to cross. France wants to use PCR tests and wait for a negative result before letting drivers in. Britain wants to use quicker lateral flow tests. What is a PCR...France and the UK have begun negotiations about reopening the border between the two countries and whether it is possible to test lorry drivers for coronavirus before allowing them to cross. France wants to use PCR tests and wait for a negative result before letting drivers in. Britain wants to use quicker lateral flow tests. What is a PCR...France and the UK have begun negotiations about reopening the border between the two countries and whether it is possible to...
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CORONAVIRUS
Rapid home Covid kits cleared — with warning
Regulators have cleared rapid-result Covid-19 tests for use at home but set strict conditions on how they are to be deployed, it has been reported. Boris Johnson’s hopes of avoiding months-long lockdowns rest in part on regulators approving lateral flow devices (LFDs) for wider use. The Times revealed on Saturday...Regulators have cleared rapid-result Covid-19 tests for use at home but set strict conditions on...Regulators have cleared rapid-result Covid-19 tests for use at home but set strict conditions on...
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Coronavirus | In depth
The inside story of how PM was forced into action
video
US charges new suspect over Lockerbie bombing
A Libyan man imprisoned in Tripoli has been charged in the US with making the bomb that blew up an airliner over Lockerbie 32 years ago, killing 270 people. Abu Agela Masud is the third Libyan charged over the attack and is...A Libyan man imprisoned in Tripoli has been charged in the US with making the bomb that blew up an airliner over Lockerbie 32 years ago, killing 270 people. Abu Agela Masud is the third Libyan charged over the attack and is...A Libyan man imprisoned in Tripoli has been charged in the US with making the bomb that blew up an airliner over...
Read the full storyFans of fitness trackers really do go the extra mile, scientists find
People who use a fitness tracker walk almost a mile extra a day, according to research which recommends that the gadgets be prescribed to improve health. Using data from 28 clinical studies, a team at the University of Sydney...People who use a fitness tracker walk almost a mile extra a day, according to research which recommends that the gadgets be prescribed to improve health. Using data from 28 clinical studies, a team at the University of Sydney...People who use a fitness tracker walk almost a mile extra a day, according to research which recommends that the...
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Mutant virus strain is ‘everywhere’, says adviser
Toughest restrictions may have to be introduced in more areas to fight new variant
Coronavirus
Staggered return if schools able to open
coronavirus
Europe ready for jab but doses are short
video
Coronavirus around the world
Biden takes shot in the arm for country
coronavirus
Find your place in the Covid vaccine queue
With some experts suggesting it may take more than a year to vaccinate everyone, who gets to go first? A number of factors — some of them random, some of them intentional — will come into play when deciding who gets vaccinated. A new tool combines...With some experts suggesting it may take more than a year to vaccinate everyone, who gets to go...With some experts suggesting it may take more than a year to vaccinate everyone, who gets to go...
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River makes splash with bathing status
A river in West Yorkshire has become the first in Britain to be declared an official bathing site and will now be subject to regular testing of the water with extra efforts made to reduce pollution. Part of the River Wharfe in Ilkley will be added...A river in West Yorkshire has become the first in Britain to be declared an official bathing site...A river in West Yorkshire has become the first in Britain to be declared an official bathing site...
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Grand Tours fuelled by art — and adrenaline
It conjures up images of powdered connoisseurs promenading among ruins and sending home art for the family pile. Yet...It conjures up images of powdered connoisseurs promenading among ruins and sending home art for...It conjures up images of powdered connoisseurs promenading among ruins and sending home art for...
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The Times Diary
Farewell, lord of the rams
I bring sad news for fans of Hugo Weaving, who is no more. At least he went with a smile on his face. “He died on the...I bring sad news for fans of Hugo Weaving, who is no more. At least he went with a smile on his...I bring sad news for fans of Hugo Weaving, who is no more. At least he went with a smile on his...
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News in pictures
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Russian spy tells Navalny that novichok was put into his underwear
Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin’s most prominent domestic critic, has said that he tricked a Russian spy into confessing to a state-sponsored plot to kill him by smearing a nerve agent on his underpants. Mr Navalny called a military chemist at the toxins unit of the FSB spy agency and introduced...Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin’s most prominent domestic critic, has said that he tricked a Russian spy into confessing to a state-sponsored plot to kill him by smearing a nerve agent on his underpants. Mr Navalny called a military chemist at the toxins unit of the FSB spy agency and introduced...Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin’s most prominent domestic critic, has said that he tricked a Russian spy into confessing to a...
Read the full storyOutgoing attorney defies Trump’s call for special counsel
The US attorney-general defied calls to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden and played down claims of election fraud in a final break with President Trump before he stands down tomorrow. Bill Barr, whose early departure was announced last week after a period of tense relations with Mr Trump, declined twice to support...The US attorney-general defied calls to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden and played down claims of election fraud in a final break with President Trump before he stands down tomorrow. Bill Barr, whose early departure was announced last week after a period of tense relations with Mr Trump, declined twice to support...The US attorney-general defied calls to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden and played down claims of...
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Ritual bath found in garden where Jesus spent final night
Archaeological remnants from the time of Jesus have been found at Gethsemane, the place where he prayed on the night he was betrayed. In a dig carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority near the modern church of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, just east of the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, the...Archaeological remnants from the time of Jesus have been found at Gethsemane, the place where he...Archaeological remnants from the time of Jesus have been found at Gethsemane, the place where he...
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Nuns in children’s home rented boys to abusers
Nuns running a children’s home in Germany prostituted boys in their care to priests, local politicians and...Nuns running a children’s home in Germany prostituted boys in their care to priests, local...Nuns running a children’s home in Germany prostituted boys in their care to priests, local...
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Father paid to have his gay son attacked
A father enraged that his son was homosexual has been sentenced to two years for paying a man to ruin his hands to...A father enraged that his son was homosexual has been sentenced to two years for paying a man to...A father enraged that his son was homosexual has been sentenced to two years for paying a man to...
Read the full storyEconomy grew more than expected in the third quarter
Britain’s economic performance and sharp rise in public debt since the pandemic have not been quite as bad as feared, although the UK remains at the bottom of G7 leading nations in terms of lost output, according to official figures. With the economy facing the prospect of another deep...Britain’s economic performance and sharp rise in public debt since the pandemic have not been quite as bad as feared, although the UK remains at the bottom of G7 leading nations in terms of lost output, according to official figures. With the economy facing the prospect of another deep...Britain’s economic performance and sharp rise in public debt since the pandemic have not been quite as bad as feared, although...
Read the full storyVodafone offers €2bn buyout to end Kabel Deutschland dispute
Vodafone has offered to pay more than €2 billion to buy out minority shareholders in its German cable business in an attempt to put an end to a long-running legal battle with minority shareholders, including Elliott, the US hedge fund. The FTSE 100 telecoms group, which bought almost 77 per cent of Kabel Deutschland for €7.7 billion in 2013...Vodafone has offered to pay more than €2 billion to buy out minority shareholders in its German cable business in an attempt to put an end to a long-running legal battle with minority shareholders, including Elliott, the US hedge fund. The FTSE 100 telecoms group, which bought almost 77 per cent of Kabel Deutschland for €7.7 billion in 2013...Vodafone has offered to pay more than €2 billion to buy out minority shareholders in its German cable business in an attempt to...
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Welcome Break owner Applegreen agrees €718m takeover by founders
The Irish petrol forecourt retailer that owns Welcome Break is to be taken private by its founders in a €718 million deal backed by the investment giant Blackstone. Applegreen is 41.3 per cent owned by Bob Etchingham, its chief executive, and Joseph Barrett, chief operations officer, through their B&J Holdings...The Irish petrol forecourt retailer that owns Welcome Break is to be taken private by its...The Irish petrol forecourt retailer that owns Welcome Break is to be taken private by its...
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business commentary
No situation BoJo can’t make worse
Taking back control. Boris Johnson promised he’d do it. And look how he’s living up to that: adding a mutant ninja...Taking back control. Boris Johnson promised he’d do it. And look how he’s living up to that...Taking back control. Boris Johnson promised he’d do it. And look how he’s living up to that...
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comment
We all have a stake in Tesla now, but the true value of it is questionable
We’re all backers of Elon Musk now. Even those of us who think he can be a bit of an egotistical twerp, bless him.We’re all backers of Elon Musk now. Even those of us who think he can be a bit of an egotistical...We’re all backers of Elon Musk now. Even those of us who think he can be a bit of an egotistical...
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comment
Inflation basket must reflect drastic changes wrought by pandemic
‘Does anyone really believe the official statistics on price inflation?” one of the online comments below a...‘Does anyone really believe the official statistics on price inflation?” one of the online...‘Does anyone really believe the official statistics on price inflation?” one of the online...
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Retail sales face January crash
Retail sales volumes bounced back strongly from November’s lockdown but were expected to crash again in January even...Retail sales volumes bounced back strongly from November’s lockdown but were expected to crash...Retail sales volumes bounced back strongly from November’s lockdown but were expected to crash...
Read the full storyJobs and stamp duty ‘to hit house prices’
House prices will fall by as much as 5 per cent next year as unemployment chokes demand for new homes, analysts have warned. In its latest outlook for the sector, Halifax said that the property market would soon succumb to the wider economic...House prices will fall by as much as 5 per cent next year as unemployment chokes demand for new...House prices will fall by as much as 5 per cent next year as unemployment chokes demand for new...
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need to know
Your three-minute digest
Golf | Alasdair Reid
Hold the Charlie Woods hype – golfing dynasties are rare
It has been fiendishly difficult to find a silver lining around the coronavirus cloud this year but there was at least one small blessing when the pandemic forced the US Open out of its traditional June date and moved the tournament to September. Why? Because in its June slot the US Open always...It has been fiendishly difficult to find a silver lining around the coronavirus cloud this year but there was at least one small blessing when the pandemic forced the US Open out of its traditional June date and moved the tournament to September. Why? Because in its June slot the US Open always...It has been fiendishly difficult to find a silver lining around the coronavirus cloud this year but there was at least one...
Read the full storyrugby union | owen slot
Barbeary, France and Fiji offer embattled sport precious hope
Tradition has it that, when we get to late December, we cast a savvy eye back on the 12 months just passed, we stroke our chins and we tell you what kind of a year it has been. We won’t waste your time with that nonsense this Christmas because you know already. No one needs to have it explained. The year that is just passing has been the...Tradition has it that, when we get to late December, we cast a savvy eye back on the 12 months just passed, we stroke our chins and we tell you what kind of a year it has been. We won’t waste your time with that nonsense this Christmas because you know already. No one needs to have it explained. The year that is just passing has been the...Tradition has it that, when we get to late December, we cast a savvy eye back on the 12 months just passed, we stroke our chins...
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Football | Declan Rudd interview
‘I didn’t want to play with my daughter – that’s when my wife said I needed help’
Until about three years ago Declan Rudd says this kind of conversation would not have been possible. Sharing feelings, and especially worries, was the Preston North End goalkeeper’s worst fear. He wanted to keep them concealed, too proud to talk to those around him. “Over the years I got into a general depressed...Until about three years ago Declan Rudd says this kind of conversation would not have been possible.Until about three years ago Declan Rudd says this kind of conversation would not have been possible.
Read the full storypremier league
Abraham gives Werner a goalscoring lesson
Football
The long throw that sent Newcastle to last League Cup semi-final
Malcolm Macdonald’s throw-in was so long that in the 1970s he was crowned the winner of a BBC competition to discover who was the best at them in English football, beating Martin Chivers in the final at Highbury. Supermac’s status as a Tyneside...Malcolm Macdonald’s throw-in was so long that in the 1970s he was crowned the winner of a BBC...Malcolm Macdonald’s throw-in was so long that in the 1970s he was crowned the winner of a BBC...
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Rugby League
Ten players ready to sue over dementia
carabao cup | tony cascarino
Arsenal must break with intent
Arsenal should use their victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals last season as their blueprint when...Arsenal should use their victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals last season as...Arsenal should use their victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals last season as...
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Football | molly hudson
Morgan’s limited game time does not make her Tottenham move a failure
Alex Morgan’s return to America after a three-month spell in England should not be greeted with disappointment or...Alex Morgan’s return to America after a three-month spell in England should not be greeted with...Alex Morgan’s return to America after a three-month spell in England should not be greeted with...
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carabao cup | Christian Norgaard interview
‘Play-off final defeat still haunts me – I’ll never completely recover from it’
It will be the clash of the cup-less wonders when Brentford host Newcastle this evening in the quarter final stage of the Carabao Cup. The west London club have never won a major domestic trophy and you have to go back to 1955 for the last time...It will be the clash of the cup-less wonders when Brentford host Newcastle this evening in the...It will be the clash of the cup-less wonders when Brentford host Newcastle this evening in the...
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sports photography
Times Sport Unseen: a darting Grinch and an old-fashioned boxing club
Marc Aspland writes: As Bradley covers the North West of England he will often visit United and City in Manchester and Everton and Liverpool on Merseyside. This week my travels took me to similar areas of proximity as I covered Arsenal and the...Marc Aspland writes: As Bradley covers the North West of England he will often visit United and...Marc Aspland writes: As Bradley covers the North West of England he will often visit United and...
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Sathnam Sanghera’s University Challenge hell
All we looked likely to win was the title of worst team ever
Health
Dr Mark Porter on life as a vaccine doctor: no queues and good spirits
The GP spent the weekend vaccinating patients
INTERVIEW
Industry stars Myha’la Herrold and Marisa Abela on the truth about those sex scenes
Scarlett Russell meets two stars from the BBC show that has everyone talking
FIRST NIGHT | THEATRE
Dick Whittington — lacklustre and ponderous panto
STAYING IN
The best live arts to stream this week
Scottish Ballet: The Secret Theatre
This Christmas, Scottish Ballet is streaming its first feature-length film. In...Scottish Ballet: The Secret Theatre
This Christmas, Scottish Ballet is streaming its...Scottish Ballet: The Secret Theatre
This Christmas, Scottish Ballet is streaming its...
MindGames
The Times Daily Quiz
1 Which US city is served by an airport with the Iata code SFO? 2 In the book of Genesis, the family of Lot fled...1 Which US city is served by an airport with the Iata code SFO? 2 In the book of Genesis, the...1 Which US city is served by an airport with the Iata code SFO? 2 In the book of Genesis, the...
Read the full storyFIRST NIGHT | CONCERT
Stile Antico — pristine techniques in this seasonal choral delight
★★★☆☆
Live carol services and concerts may have been hard to find this December but there have been plenty of seasonal choral delights to enjoy online. This streamed concert by Stile Antico — boosted here to 13 youngish professional...★★★☆☆
Live carol services and concerts may have been hard to find this December but there...★★★☆☆
Live carol services and concerts may have been hard to find this December but there...
A QUESTION OF HEALTH
How can I motivate myself to exercise?
VIEWING GUIDE
What’s on TV and radio tonight: Tuesday, December 22
FOOD & DRINK
25 classic cocktail recipes
CHRISTMAS TELEVISION
12 TV treats of Christmas
December 22, Channel 5, 9pm
It’s Christmas Eve night and there’s an emergency. Up at Bert Chapman’s remote cottage on the high Dales, a puppy is stuck in its mother’s birth canal. James Herriot motors through the cold to try to rescue the...December 22, Channel 5, 9pm
It’s Christmas Eve night and there’s an emergency. Up at...December 22, Channel 5, 9pm
It’s Christmas Eve night and there’s an emergency. Up at...
obituary
Lady Tebbit
Campaigner and former nurse who was left paralysed by the 1984 Brighton bombing but eschewed self-pity
Moments before Margaret Tebbit, hand in hand with her husband Norman, hurtled 40 feet through the Grand Hotel, Brighton, in the early hours of October 12, 1984, she was stirred from sleep by what she thought was “loud wind” blowing through the curtains. The next thing she knew was an enormous crash as her bed nose-dived through four floors of the Grand Hotel. “It’s a...Moments before Margaret Tebbit, hand in hand with her husband Norman, hurtled 40 feet through the...Moments before Margaret Tebbit, hand in hand with her husband Norman, hurtled 40 feet through the...
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obituary
Dame Fanny Waterman
The Leeds International Piano Competition has brought to light some of the greatest pianists of the past half century...The Leeds International Piano Competition has brought to light some of the greatest pianists of the past half century, including winners such as Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia and Artur Pizarro. Some of the runners-up have gone on to careers that have been just as successful — John Lill, Mitsuko Uchida and Andras Schiff...The Leeds International Piano Competition has brought to light some of the greatest pianists of the past half century...
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obituary
Viscount Runciman of Doxford
weather eye
Magical mysteries of the heavens
from the archive
Attractions of the Alps and Riviera
Coronavirus
We can’t be certain schools are safe, admits Sturgeon as 40,000 pupils stay at home
Tens of thousands of children were absent from class last week as Nicola Sturgeon admitted she “can’t be absolutely certain” schools are safe from the spread of coronavirus. A record 39,386 pupils were off school on Thursday, or 15 per cent of the total Scottish school roll — more than double the...Tens of thousands of children were absent from class last week as Nicola Sturgeon admitted she “can’t be absolutely certain” schools are safe from the spread of coronavirus. A record 39,386 pupils were off school on Thursday, or 15 per cent of the total Scottish school roll — more than double the...Tens of thousands of children were absent from class last week as Nicola Sturgeon admitted she “can’t be absolutely certain”...
Read the full storyCoronavirus
Mutant virus ‘can be curbed’
Scotland has a chance of keeping the new variant of coronavirus under control, Nicola Sturgeon has said, amid fears that the mutated strain may be fuelling a rise in hospital patients. In the past fortnight the number of people requiring medical treatment has risen by 10 per cent to 1,078 and occupancy of hospital beds is at its highest...Scotland has a chance of keeping the new variant of coronavirus under control, Nicola Sturgeon has said, amid fears that the mutated strain may be fuelling a rise in hospital patients. In the past fortnight the number of people requiring medical treatment has risen by 10 per cent to 1,078 and occupancy of hospital beds is at its highest...Scotland has a chance of keeping the new variant of coronavirus under control, Nicola Sturgeon has said, amid fears that the...
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Gritting sensors will tackle cold weather chaos on roads
A sensor system that tells gritters which spots to target is being piloted on Scottish roads. The technology is being trialled on the outskirts of Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, and could be introduced across the country. It is hoped that it will tackle problems such as those experienced in the winter of 2010-11 when...A sensor system that tells gritters which spots to target is being piloted on Scottish roads. The...A sensor system that tells gritters which spots to target is being piloted on Scottish roads. The...
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Business
Optical Express sees improved turnover
The owner of Optical Express has reported a rise in its underlying profit. Accounts lodged at Companies House by Lorena Investments, the holding company, also show an increase in turnover by 8 per cent to £117 million. Optical...The owner of Optical Express has reported a rise in its underlying profit. Accounts lodged at Companies House by Lorena Investments, the holding company, also show an increase in turnover by 8 per cent to £117 million. Optical...The owner of Optical Express has reported a rise in its underlying profit. Accounts lodged at Companies House by...
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Oil logistics firm buyout
A provider of logistics to the oil and gas industry has been acquired by a new consortium of investors for an undisclosed sum. Asco Group, which has its headquarters in Aberdeen, has been owned by DH Private Equity Partners...A provider of logistics to the oil and gas industry has been acquired by a new consortium of investors for an undisclosed sum. Asco Group, which has its headquarters in Aberdeen, has been owned by DH Private Equity Partners...A provider of logistics to the oil and gas industry has been acquired by a new consortium of investors for an...
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Football
‘Ignore my criminal past’ – Martindale’s emotional plea to SFA
David Martindale says he fears his criminal past could deny him his managerial break and has made an emotional plea to the Scottish FA to clear him as a “fit and proper person” after he was appointed Livingston manager until the end of the season. The West Lothian club yesterday named their head of football operations as the permanent successor to Gary Holt, who stepped...David Martindale says he fears his criminal past could deny him his managerial break and has made...David Martindale says he fears his criminal past could deny him his managerial break and has made...
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Football
Griffiths: Ten league titles in a row is still on
Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths insists that becoming the first club to win four succcessive Scottish Cups and a...Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths insists that becoming the first club to win four succcessive Scottish Cups and a quadruple treble on Sunday is the springboard the champions need to go on and claim a record ten Premiership titles in a row. Neil Lennon’s side beat Hearts in a penalty shoot-out at Hampden but they...Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths insists that becoming the first club to win four succcessive Scottish Cups and a quadruple...
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Rugby Union
Fit-and-firing Russell gives thumbs up for England test
Sitting a short distance away from the Racing 92 bench on Sunday afternoon, it was easy to imagine the gasps of...Sitting a short distance away from the Racing 92 bench on Sunday afternoon, it was easy to...Sitting a short distance away from the Racing 92 bench on Sunday afternoon, it was easy to...
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Rugby Union
Bhatti’s Bath move a win-win, says Cockerill
Richard Cockerill, the Edinburgh head coach, believes Jamie Bhatti’s move from Edinburgh to Bath with immediate...Richard Cockerill, the Edinburgh head coach, believes Jamie Bhatti’s move from Edinburgh to Bath...Richard Cockerill, the Edinburgh head coach, believes Jamie Bhatti’s move from Edinburgh to Bath...
Read the full storyCoronavirus
Tougher restrictions loom after Christmas as expert warns that third wave has hit
Travel to Britain is expected to be banned until the end of the month, as the cabinet meets today to consider new restrictions to halt the spread of the “third wave” of the pandemic. New restrictions are likely to be introduced after Christmas to halt the spread of Covid-19, with a senior health official warning that Ireland is now clearly in the “third wave” of the...Travel to Britain is expected to be banned until the end of the month, as the cabinet meets today...Travel to Britain is expected to be banned until the end of the month, as the cabinet meets today...
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Coronavirus
Stormont dithering over protection of North from new virus strain, says Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin has accused its powersharing partners of “dithering and delay” over a lack of action to stem the spread of...Sinn Féin has accused its powersharing partners of “dithering and delay” over a lack of action to stem the spread of the mutant strain of Covid-19. It comes as Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, yesterday said the Covid-19 mutation was already “everywhere” after other health experts confirmed it...Sinn Féin has accused its powersharing partners of “dithering and delay” over a lack of action to stem the spread of the mutant...
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Repeat criminal caught with a stashed gun jailed for nine years
A criminal discovered by gardaí in a back garden cabin where a loaded handgun had been stashed has been jailed for nine years. Trevor Byrne, 40, claimed that the gun was for his own protection after being informed by gardaí of...A criminal discovered by gardaí in a back garden cabin where a loaded handgun had been stashed has been jailed for nine years. Trevor Byrne, 40, claimed that the gun was for his own protection after being informed by gardaí of...A criminal discovered by gardaí in a back garden cabin where a loaded handgun had been stashed has been jailed for...
Read the full storycoronavirus
Numerous pubs ‘breaching Covid-safety guidelines’
A pub in the north west of the country was issued with an immediate closure order by gardaí due to “persistent non-compliance” with public health guidelines. Gardaí observed that the requirement to serve a substantial meal was...A pub in the north west of the country was issued with an immediate closure order by gardaí due to “persistent non-compliance” with public health guidelines. Gardaí observed that the requirement to serve a substantial meal was...A pub in the north west of the country was issued with an immediate closure order by gardaí due to “persistent...
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Comment
Ministers fear £6bn cost of Rashford hat-trick
Rachel Sylvester
Campaigning footballer won’t give up until he forces a third U-turn from the government on uplifting hungry families
Melanie Phillips
Try this antidote to the insanities of the age
Giles Coren | Notebook
Give me the gift of being rubbish at wrapping
Melanie McDonagh
Self-help guide The Greatest Secret is a repulsive creed
Sara Tor | Notebook
Great news! I may be vaccinated by August 2021
Hugo Rifkind
Panic buying is the true spirit of Christmas
It’s the Prisoners’ Dilemma but there are tens of millions of us and we’re all prisoners in Tesco. If you don’t panic buy and nor does he or she or anybody else, then I can safely not do it either. If just one of you cracks, though, then it all...It’s the Prisoners’ Dilemma but there are tens of millions of us and we’re all prisoners in Tesco.It’s the Prisoners’ Dilemma but there are tens of millions of us and we’re all prisoners in Tesco.
Read the full storyLeading Articles
National Emergency
Given the speed with which the new virus strain is spreading, the government needs to accelerate its vaccination programme and parliament should be recalled
Secret Prayers
Britain’s new religion envoy must look out for Christians across the globe
Royal Flush
A titillating scandal may prove more than an embarrassment for the Thai king
Readers’ poll
Will you avoid seeing some relatives this Christmas because of Covid-19?
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Press pause on Brexit to focus on Covid-19
Sir, As always, Clare Foges makes some telling points in her column (“Time is up for Johnson’s reckless optimism”, Comment, Dec 21). No one is asking the prime minister to undo Brexit, but at a time when he, and every other head of government...Sir, As always, Clare Foges makes some telling points in her column (“Time is up for...Sir, As always, Clare Foges makes some telling points in her column (“Time is up for...
Read the full storyDaily Universal Register
Briefing
UK: Data on government borrowing is released; consultation closes on a government proposal for a total online advertising restriction for products high in fat, sugar and salt; Carabao Cup quarter-finals take place between Brentford and Newcastle United (5.30pm) and Arsenal and Manchester City (8pm).
US: United Nations security council meeting on non-proliferation.
On this day
In 1849 Fyodor Dostoevsky, author of Crime and Punishment (1866), received a last-minute reprieve from death by firing squad. He was sent to a Siberian labour camp until 1854; 1895 the physicist Wilhelm Röntgen took a radiograph of his wife’s hand, the first medical x-ray. She exclaimed: “I have seen my death”; in 1972, 14 survivors from an aircraft that crashed at 12,000ft in the Argentine Andes on October 13 were rescued, after two passengers made a two-day trek for help. There were 29 fatalities, and parts of their bodies were eaten in the struggle to survive; in 1989 the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin reopened, having been closed since 1961. Helmut Kohl, the West German chancellor, met Hans Modrow, the East German prime minister; in 2000 the singer Madonna and film-maker Guy Ritchie married at Skibo Castle, Scotland. They divorced on November 21, 2009; in 2018 more than 400 people died in Indonesia when a tsunami hit coastal towns after volcanic activity from Anak Krakatau led to undersea landslides.
Nature notes
A good way to learn more about the wildlife in your area is to pay attention to animal droppings. Badgers dig rows of latrines, often along paths or fencelines, to mark the borders of their territories: shallow scrapes filled with dark, loose stools, often — depending on the time of year — tinted with purple sloes or wild cherries. Fox scat is dark, with a twist at one end, and is often deposited on molehills or other raised spots where its scent can more easily carry; grey rodent or rabbit fur is often visible, and they can be studded with the tiny bones of small mammals. Hedgehog poo is smaller and black, and glints with the wing cases of insects.
Melissa Harrison
Birthdays today
Ed Anderson, chairman, National Savings and Investments, Airport Operators Association (2018-19), lord-lieutenant of West Yorkshire, 70; Dame Mary Archer, scientist, chairwoman, Science Museum Group, 76; James Burke, science historian, TV producer and the BBC’s main reporter on the 1969 moon landings, 84; Sir Roger Carr, chairman, BAE Systems, English National Ballet, and vice-chairman, BBC Trust (2015-17), 74; Rt Rev Stephen Conway, bishop of Ely, 63; Noel Edmonds, TV presenter, Deal or No Deal (2005-16), and DJ, 72; Ralph Fiennes, actor, Schindler’s List (1993), 58; Leigh Halfpenny, rugby union player, Wales and British and Irish Lions, 32; Rebecca Harris, Conservative MP for Castle Point, lord commissioner (HM Treasury, whip), 53; Sir Gary Hickinbottom, lord justice of appeal, the second solicitor to be appointed to the Court of Appeal, 65; Tony Laithwaite, wine retailer, founder of Bordeaux Direct (now Laithwaite’s Wine) and chairman, Direct Wines, 75; Dame Frances Lannon, historian, principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (2002-15), 75; Liliane Lijn, artist, the cone-shaped Koan series (since 1965), 81; Harriet Mathews, director for Africa, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK ambassador to Somalia (2015-16), 47; Mike Molloy, writer, editor, Daily Mirror (1975-85), 80; Chris Old, cricketer, England (1972-81), 72; Vanessa Paradis, actress, Café de Flore (2011), and singer, Joe le Taxi (1987), 48; Dick Parry, rock saxophonist, 78; Andrea Quinn, conductor and music director of the Royal Ballet (1998-2001), 56; John Ray, egyptologist, emeritus professor of egyptology, University of Cambridge, 75; Brett Rogers, director, the Photographers’ Gallery, 66; Prof M Stanley Whittingham, co-recipient, Nobel prize for chemistry (2019; for the development of lithium-ion batteries), 79; Prof Sir Robin Williams, physicist, semiconductor physics and nanotechnology research, vice-chancellor, University of Wales (1994-2003), 79.