Day: December 9, 2020
Firm rigged tests of rival product after Grenfell blaze, inquiry told
December 9, 2020A manufacturer of Grenfell Tower’s combustible insulation rigged tests and hired lobbyists after the disaster to try to persuade MPs that rival non-combustible products might be no less dangerous, the public inquiry has heard. The evidence came as the hearings were adjourned until January because a member of the inquiry team had tested positive for […]
Read More
533 more people die with Covid-19 as cases increase from last week
December 9, 2020A further 533 people in the UK have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the country’s total death toll to 62,556. The 2,885 deaths over the last seven days represents a decrease of 285 or nine per cent from the week before. There have been 16,578 new cases of people testing […]
Read More
Canada becomes second nation after UK to approve Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine
December 9, 2020Health Canada posted on its website on Wednesday that the vaccine has now been authorised. In a statement, Health Canada said the move was a “critical milestone” in the fight against Covid-19 – and stressed its review process had been “rigorous”. Officials said they will “will closely monitor the safety of the vaccine once it […]
Read More
Young men least likely to wear face masks on London Tube and buses, TfL chief says
December 9, 2020Y oung men are the least likely to comply with the requirement to wear a face mask on the Tube and buses, London’s transport chief revealed today. Transport for London commissioner Andy Byford said mask-wearing was “generally very high” with only three per cent of passengers not complying with the rules. But he said that […]
Read More
UK coronavirus LIVE: Pfizer vaccine safety defended after allergic reactions amid London Tier 3 calls
December 9, 20201607531192 UK coronavirus death toll rises by 533 The Government said a further 533 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday, bringing the UK total to 62,566. Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with […]
Read More
Londoner’s Diary: Julian Assange’s father hopes son’s fate will change when Joe Biden is in power
December 9, 20201607515458 Thompson’s sock-swathed Oscar ( Emma Thompson / Dave Benett ) Emma Thompson took an unconventional approach to packaging her Oscar when she brought it back from America to the UK in the 90s: she wrapped it in a pair of socks. When the pilot of the plane she was on got wind of the […]
Read More
Tubes won’t run overnight on New Year’s Eve to stop London parties
December 9, 2020Tubes will not run overnight on New Year’s Eve to stop people from being tempted to celebrate the end of 2020 amid the coronavirus crisis. Transport for London (TfL) usually runs an overnight service on December 31 to help people get around the capital – and often for free. Andy Lord, managing director of the […]
Read More
London ‘should go into tier 3 within 48 hours’ or face ‘terrible’ Covid surge
December 9, 2020Health experts say London should be put into the third tier of coronavirus restrictions as soon as possible or face a ‘terrible rise’ in infections over Christmas. With cases increasing in the majority of boroughs, pressure is mounting on the Government to move the capital up a tier when the rules are next reviewed on […]
Read More
London to get its own New York-style high line park
December 9, 2020London is to get its own New York-style high line park after a developer’s plans were signed off by the Mayor. The elevated park – which is being billed as one of the biggest new parks in the centre of the capital – will be built on top of restored railway arches in Shoreditch, east […]
Read More