In the News
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coronavirus
Vaccination is reducing admissions and deaths
New figures suggest jab also cuts transmission
updatedVaccination is already reducing hospital admissions, deaths and transmission of the coronavirus in Britain, according to “encouraging” early data, The Times understands. Boris Johnson said that there were “interesting straws in the wind” and “grounds for confidence” on vaccines cutting the spread...Vaccination is already reducing hospital admissions, deaths and transmission of the coronavirus in Britain, according to “encouraging” early data, The Times understands. Boris Johnson said that there were “interesting straws in the wind” and “grounds for confidence” on vaccines cutting the spread...Vaccination is already reducing hospital admissions, deaths and transmission of the coronavirus in Britain, according to...
Read the full storyChitchat 101: law school offers lessons in small talk
In the competition to offer an education prized by employers, one university has cornered the market in small talk. BPP University Law School is offering students what is thought to be the first module in chitchat and networking. Georgie Nightingall, who is designing and running the course, said that small talk was often maligned, but was...In the competition to offer an education prized by employers, one university has cornered the market in small talk. BPP University Law School is offering students what is thought to be the first module in chitchat and networking. Georgie Nightingall, who is designing and running the course, said that small talk was often maligned, but was...In the competition to offer an education prized by employers, one university has cornered the market in small talk. BPP...
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Harry and Meghan to tell Oprah why they quit royal life
Buckingham Palace was bracing itself yesterday for revelations from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are to give their first in-depth television interview to Oprah Winfrey. Harry and Meghan will tell the chatshow host why they walked away from the monarchy in a 90-minute special to be shown on the US network CBS...Buckingham Palace was bracing itself yesterday for revelations from the Duke and Duchess of...Buckingham Palace was bracing itself yesterday for revelations from the Duke and Duchess of...
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RED BOX | ESTHER WEBBER
No jitterbugging until JVT says so
newAs someone who’s recently been vaccinated because of a health condition, I sometimes find myself wondering when it...As someone who’s recently been vaccinated because of a health condition, I sometimes find myself...As someone who’s recently been vaccinated because of a health condition, I sometimes find myself...
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Political Sketch
Tongue twister, wonder drug of the pandemic
To Downing Street, nerve-centre of the fight against Covid, an oasis of taut expertise where pharmaceutical thrusters...To Downing Street, nerve-centre of the fight against Covid, an oasis of taut expertise where...To Downing Street, nerve-centre of the fight against Covid, an oasis of taut expertise where...
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The Times Diary
Larry’s decade of decadence
Happy anniversary to Larry, the chief mouser, who reached ten years in Downing Street yesterday. There has been a...Happy anniversary to Larry, the chief mouser, who reached ten years in Downing Street yesterday.Happy anniversary to Larry, the chief mouser, who reached ten years in Downing Street yesterday.
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Harry Potter extra battles mother over £435,000 will
A dog walker who was also an extra in the Harry Potter films is locked in a legal battle with her mother over her...A dog walker who was also an extra in the Harry Potter films is locked in a legal battle with her...A dog walker who was also an extra in the Harry Potter films is locked in a legal battle with her...
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Serpent swallows up viewers on iPlayer
Dazzling 1970s fashions, international travel, and a heart-racing murder manhunt: The Serpent had all the ingredients of a lockdown television hit. And so it proved. The true-crime thriller about the “Hippie Trail” serial killer Charles Sobhraj is...Dazzling 1970s fashions, international travel, and a heart-racing murder manhunt: The Serpent had...Dazzling 1970s fashions, international travel, and a heart-racing murder manhunt: The Serpent had...
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Railways help hundreds of abuse victims escape
Free rail tickets for abuse victims to flee their homes helped more than 1,000 people reach a refuge in the past year.Free rail tickets for abuse victims to flee their homes helped more than 1,000 people reach a...Free rail tickets for abuse victims to flee their homes helped more than 1,000 people reach a...
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Worker with fainting fits unfairly sacked from nuclear bunker job
A data specialist who had a fainting condition was unfairly sacked from his job in a former nuclear bunker because he...A data specialist who had a fainting condition was unfairly sacked from his job in a former...A data specialist who had a fainting condition was unfairly sacked from his job in a former...
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News in pictures
For more pictures from The Times follow us on InstagramFor more pictures from The Times follow us on InstagramFor more pictures from The Times follow us on Instagram
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Biden puts ban on assault weapons at top of agenda
President Biden called on Congress to join him in strengthening America’s gun laws in a test of his push for a new era of political unity. The president, 78, announced on the third anniversary of the mass school shooting that left 17 dead in Parkland, Florida, that he wanted to close loopholes...President Biden called on Congress to join him in strengthening America’s gun laws in a test of his push for a new era of political unity. The president, 78, announced on the third anniversary of the mass school shooting that left 17 dead in Parkland, Florida, that he wanted to close loopholes...President Biden called on Congress to join him in strengthening America’s gun laws in a test of his push for a new era of...
Read the full storyArdern rebukes Australia for stripping Isis mother’s citizenship
newA young mother identified as an Islamic State terrorist is at the centre of an international row after Australia withdrew her citizenship, forcing New Zealand to take responsibility for her and two children. The 26-year-old woman, who held dual Australian and New Zealand citizenship, was detained by Turkish forces with her children near the...A young mother identified as an Islamic State terrorist is at the centre of an international row after Australia withdrew her citizenship, forcing New Zealand to take responsibility for her and two children. The 26-year-old woman, who held dual Australian and New Zealand citizenship, was detained by Turkish forces with her children near the...A young mother identified as an Islamic State terrorist is at the centre of an international row after Australia withdrew her...
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They’re going to frame me, says Russian officer who quit in disgust
A Russian police captain who resigned rather than break up an opposition protest fears that the authorities will try to frame him on criminal charges as a warning to other officers. Nikolai Korolyov, 39, left the force last month on the eve of demonstrations in support of Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned...A Russian police captain who resigned rather than break up an opposition protest fears that the...A Russian police captain who resigned rather than break up an opposition protest fears that the...
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An offer you can’t refuse: the Dapper Don’s remarkable wine cellar
By most accounts John Gotti was a New York tough who became the most famous gangster of his time before he was jailed for racketeering and murder. On the other hand, he did have impeccable taste in wine. This lesser-known fact about the “Dapper...By most accounts John Gotti was a New York tough who became the most famous gangster of his time...By most accounts John Gotti was a New York tough who became the most famous gangster of his time...
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Google fined over misleading hotel ratings
France has fined Google €1.1 million for misleading people about French hotels by rating them with stars that differed from the country’s official system. The French subsidiary of the internet giant agreed in a negotiation with...France has fined Google €1.1 million for misleading people about French hotels by rating them with stars that differed from the country’s official system. The French subsidiary of the internet giant agreed in a negotiation with...France has fined Google €1.1 million for misleading people about French hotels by rating them with stars that...
Read the full storyRubbish idea to give bins Arab names
From a dining chair named José to a three-seater leather sofa called Rowan and Dorothy the desk lamp, the furniture brand Structube has a long-established practice of naming its products as though they were offspring. It is now...From a dining chair named José to a three-seater leather sofa called Rowan and Dorothy the desk lamp, the furniture brand Structube has a long-established practice of naming its products as though they were offspring. It is now...From a dining chair named José to a three-seater leather sofa called Rowan and Dorothy the desk lamp, the furniture...
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Jaguar goes all electric as Britain’s answer to Tesla
Jaguar is to recreate itself as the Tesla of the West Midlands and become a fully electric car manufacturer within four years. The move will involve scrapping the current Jaguar range, apart from the I-Pace, its much-fêted battery model, and closing the Castle Bromwich factory near Birmingham as a car manufacturing plant. Unite, the carworkers’ union, said it...Jaguar is to recreate itself as the Tesla of the West Midlands and become a fully electric car...Jaguar is to recreate itself as the Tesla of the West Midlands and become a fully electric car...
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Former Woodford staff criticise return of disgraced fund manager
Neil Woodford has come under fire from former employees and insiders over his plan to start a new business less than...Neil Woodford has come under fire from former employees and insiders over his plan to start a new business less than two years after the collapse of his investment empire. The disgraced fund manager took the City by surprise with his decision even though the dust from the collapse of his £3.7 billion Equity Income...Neil Woodford has come under fire from former employees and insiders over his plan to start a new business less than two years...
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business commentary
Jaguar still playing electric catch-up
Buying up bitcoin. Colonising Mars. Smoking a spliff on a webcast. Thierry Bolloré has a bit of a way to go before he...Buying up bitcoin. Colonising Mars. Smoking a spliff on a webcast. Thierry Bolloré has a bit of a...Buying up bitcoin. Colonising Mars. Smoking a spliff on a webcast. Thierry Bolloré has a bit of a...
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comment
Woodford’s sob story is a sideshow, the main event is still to come
Neil Woodford wasn’t going to speak publicly about the implosion of his empire until the formal investigation by the...Neil Woodford wasn’t going to speak publicly about the implosion of his empire until the formal...Neil Woodford wasn’t going to speak publicly about the implosion of his empire until the formal...
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Comment
Britain will lose out if City slickers ditch it for sun, sea and Zoom
If you run an estate agent or a kebab shop you can usually hire locally. If you run a quantum computing company it’s...If you run an estate agent or a kebab shop you can usually hire locally. If you run a quantum...If you run an estate agent or a kebab shop you can usually hire locally. If you run a quantum...
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morning briefing
Miner on way to recovery despite $1.9 billion loss
newThe commodities trader and miner Glencore has announced that it will resume dividend payments despite reporting a...The commodities trader and miner Glencore has announced that it will resume dividend payments...The commodities trader and miner Glencore has announced that it will resume dividend payments...
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Amsterdam in the pink with music label float
The world’s largest music label is to float in Amsterdam this year in the latest blow for the London equity market. Vivendi, the French media conglomerate, is spinning out Universal Music Group this year and will list its shares on the Amsterdam...The world’s largest music label is to float in Amsterdam this year in the latest blow for the...The world’s largest music label is to float in Amsterdam this year in the latest blow for the...
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Entain trots out all-cash Tabcorp bid
The owner of Ladbrokes and Sportingbet has made a A$3 billion (£1.7 billion) bid for part of the Australian operator Tabcorp as consolidation in the gambling sector accelerates. Entain, which confirmed the approach earlier this month, has tabled...The owner of Ladbrokes and Sportingbet has made a A$3 billion (£1.7 billion) bid for part of the...The owner of Ladbrokes and Sportingbet has made a A$3 billion (£1.7 billion) bid for part of the...
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cricket | Mike Atherton
England succumb to Kohli’s superior side
updatedBefore the start of play on the fourth day, cameras panned briefly to the support players practising on the net pitches. In there, among others, was Jasprit Bumrah, India’s leading fast bowler who has been resting here, and was now bowling with a pink ball ahead of next week’s day/night Test. Clearly, thoughts had already turned to Ahmedabad, this match being as good as...Before the start of play on the fourth day, cameras panned briefly to the support players...Before the start of play on the fourth day, cameras panned briefly to the support players...
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CRICKET
Ali to fly home and miss final two Tests
newMoeen Ali will miss England’s final two Tests against India after deciding he needs a break from the bio-secure...Moeen Ali will miss England’s final two Tests against India after deciding he needs a break from the bio-secure bubble and to spend time with his family before the white-ball series next month. Ali, who was playing in his first Test since August 2019, took eight wickets in England’s 317-run defeat in Chennai and...Moeen Ali will miss England’s final two Tests against India after deciding he needs a break from the bio-secure bubble and to...
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premier league | Henry Winter
Chelsea up into top four as Tuchel’s touch shows
rugby union | owen slot
A history of the modern game in six tackles
Slowly, rugby changes. Gradually, it does get safer. Indeed, while Irishmen and Scotsmen may have been infuriated by...Slowly, rugby changes. Gradually, it does get safer. Indeed, while Irishmen and Scotsmen may have...Slowly, rugby changes. Gradually, it does get safer. Indeed, while Irishmen and Scotsmen may have...
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football | henry winter
FA leaves vulnerable referees exposed by failing to stand up for Dean
When grassroots football resumes, so will the abuse of the 27,000 referees, some of them teenagers, trying to keep...When grassroots football resumes, so will the abuse of the 27,000 referees, some of them...When grassroots football resumes, so will the abuse of the 27,000 referees, some of them...
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Premier League
Livewire Lingard leads West Ham’s European crusade
Premier League
Tuchel enraged by ‘reckless’ tackle that injured Abraham
Champions League
Klopp: I don’t need a break – I’m ready for this challenge
Champions League
PSG crave a cure for recurring Nou Camp nightmare
In the desperate, panic-stricken final minutes of Paris Saint-Germain’s 6-1 Champions League capitulation against Barcelona in March 2017, the feeling on the away bench at the Nou Camp was one of utter helplessness. “I thought I was in a...In the desperate, panic-stricken final minutes of Paris Saint-Germain’s 6-1 Champions League...In the desperate, panic-stricken final minutes of Paris Saint-Germain’s 6-1 Champions League...
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champions league | Paul Joyce
Klopp ignores noise as his side face another test
Australian open
Nadal hitting his peak as he closes in on Federer’s record
Motor Racing | Juan Manuel Correa interview
‘It was the worst pain I have ever felt – I thought I had lost my legs’
Boxing | Rick Broadbent
Fathers and fighters - boxing’s blurred lines
Josh Warrington made a fascinating comment when speaking about the risks and rewards of boxing in the preamble to his...Josh Warrington made a fascinating comment when speaking about the risks and rewards of boxing in...Josh Warrington made a fascinating comment when speaking about the risks and rewards of boxing in...
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football | Martin Hardy
Natural finisher and ‘a really good boy’ – can Maja save Fulham?
Josh Maja’s departure from English football was significantly more heralded than his return. The striker was only 20...Josh Maja’s departure from English football was significantly more heralded than his return. The...Josh Maja’s departure from English football was significantly more heralded than his return. The...
Read the full storySPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Times Sport Unseen: Winter Olympics special
newIn February 2014, I covered the XXXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai in Russia and in February 2022 I hope to photograph the XXIV Winter Games in Beijing and the Hebei Province in China. Photographing the Winter Olympics takes me...In February 2014, I covered the XXXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai in Russia and...In February 2014, I covered the XXXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai in Russia and...
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From Kensington to California: what Meghan’s global style set want in the nursery
The nursery must-have is a ‘smart’ cot. Harriet Walker on the new status symbols that millennial parents like Harry and Meghan can’t stop buying
Health
Lockdown brain: how to talk yourself out of a negative thought
Learning to quell the chatter in our heads can help us to cope better with challenges such as the pandemic
The rise of the non-surgical lift
There are various cosmetic treatments that don’t involve going under the knife
HEALTH
Why the health of your gums could save your life
Poor oral hygiene is bad for your teeth. It also hugely increases your chance of dying from Covid-19
arts
Charles Hazlewood: Like me, Beethoven was abused as a child
The conductor on why he made a new film about the composer
Dr Mark Porter
Are you hot or not? Here’s how to check your temperature at home
Do you have a high temperature? I have lost count of how many times I have asked this question during my career, but...Do you have a high temperature? I have lost count of how many times I have asked this question...Do you have a high temperature? I have lost count of how many times I have asked this question...
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ROBERT CRAMPTON
Woodwork — it’s the new baking! And in our house, it’s my wife who nails it
At secondary school in the Seventies we had a lesson once a week in something called creative studies. You took a...At secondary school in the Seventies we had a lesson once a week in something called creative...At secondary school in the Seventies we had a lesson once a week in something called creative...
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I had Covid — and no symptoms. Don’t hate me
If I weren’t so aware of my luck, I would feel like the piano player at the brothel, the bloke who was there, but missed out big time, although, come to think of it, he probably escaped getting ill too. I am, you see, the Covid sufferer who never...If I weren’t so aware of my luck, I would feel like the piano player at the brothel, the bloke...If I weren’t so aware of my luck, I would feel like the piano player at the brothel, the bloke...
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first night | theatre
All On Her Own — memorably nuanced and captivatingly acted one-hander
★★★★☆
If Terence Rattigan’s name didn’t appear on the credits, it would be easy to assume that this taut...★★★★☆
If Terence Rattigan’s name didn’t appear on the credits, it would be easy to assume...★★★★☆
If Terence Rattigan’s name didn’t appear on the credits, it would be easy to assume...
STAYING IN
The best live arts to stream this week
Dance: Raymonda
Rudolf Nureyev’s opulent staging of the third act of Raymonda — the joyous wedding scene — is as...Dance: Raymonda
Rudolf Nureyev’s opulent staging of the third act of Raymonda — the joyous...Dance: Raymonda
Rudolf Nureyev’s opulent staging of the third act of Raymonda — the joyous...
television
Whirlybird: Live Above LA — the rage and pain of a self-loathing high-flyer
Whirlybird: Live Above LA
BBC Four
★★★★★ Whatever you thought about last night’s Storyville, Whirlybird: Live Above LA — and, my, it was quite a journey — I’m sure we all agree on this. There has never been a documentary like it and there...Whirlybird: Live Above LA
BBC Four
★★★★★ Whatever you thought about last night’s Storyville...Whirlybird: Live Above LA
BBC Four
★★★★★ Whatever you thought about last night’s Storyville...
VIEWING GUIDE
What’s on TV and radio tonight
FIRST NIGHT | OPERA
Der Freischütz — Weber becomes Wall St thriller
MindGames
The Times Daily Quiz
FOOD
Easy vegan pancakes
This quick recipe will be a hit with anyone following a non-dairy or egg-free diet. Don’t be afraid to experiment...This quick recipe will be a hit with anyone following a non-dairy or egg-free diet. Don’t be...This quick recipe will be a hit with anyone following a non-dairy or egg-free diet. Don’t be...
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DRINKS
The wine critic’s bargain guide — 30 best bottles for under £10
Are discounted supermarket wines worth buying?
Not always. Sneaky supermarkets often inflate prices before a...Are discounted supermarket wines worth buying?
Not always. Sneaky supermarkets often...Are discounted supermarket wines worth buying?
Not always. Sneaky supermarkets often...
The Brits who fled to paradise for lockdown
Picture the scene. You tiptoed abroad for a short break somewhere hot and sunny over Christmas and new year only to find yourself “stranded” thanks to flight cancellations, quarantine and so on. Far from feeling trapped, you are loving the freedom...Picture the scene. You tiptoed abroad for a short break somewhere hot and sunny over Christmas...Picture the scene. You tiptoed abroad for a short break somewhere hot and sunny over Christmas...
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'It's a Sin celebrates life'
Lydia West on the hit drama and her rise from office PA to star actress
Alice Thomson
Why sexuality should never be a source of shame
Neil Patrick Harris
‘I had dreams about being terrified of touching or hugging’
Keeley Hawes
'Valerie doesn’t think she’s an awful person. Lots of people don’t'
obituary
Sir William Macpherson of Cluny
Judge who presided over the inquiry into Stephen Lawrence’s murder, which found the Metropolitan Police was ‘institutionally racist’
William Macpherson of Cluny was 71 and had been retired for 18 months when the lord chancellor called unexpectedly. “Derry, Lord Irvine, came on,” Macpherson recalled. “He said, ‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ I said, ‘I’m playing golf.’ And he said, ‘You’re not. I want you to come down to chair the Stephen Lawrence inquiry.’ ” Before agreeing to Irvine’s request...William Macpherson of Cluny was 71 and had been retired for 18 months when the lord chancellor...William Macpherson of Cluny was 71 and had been retired for 18 months when the lord chancellor...
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obituary
Carlos Menem
Carlos Menem did not pass up many opportunities to kiss women, but even he realised it might be a peck too far when a...Carlos Menem did not pass up many opportunities to kiss women, but even he realised it might be a peck too far when a crowd of photographers urged him to kiss the rather taller Princess Diana as they posed on the steps of his official residence. At 5ft 5in, with dyed black hair and piercing eyes, he was not shy of...Carlos Menem did not pass up many opportunities to kiss women, but even he realised it might be a peck too far when a crowd of...
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obituary
Jeremy Lubbock
Lives remembered
Sir Brian Urquhart, Cicely Tyson and Neil Sheehan
Court Circular
February 15, 2021
from the archive
Daring Irish coup
weather eye
Mediterranean air forces deep freeze to loosen its grip
There has been an astonishing turnaround in the weather in recent days, from the depths of winter with minus 23C recorded in Braemar, Highlands, on Thursday, to temperatures now rocketing to positive double figures this week. This weekend...There has been an astonishing turnaround in the weather in recent days, from the depths of winter...There has been an astonishing turnaround in the weather in recent days, from the depths of winter...
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Sturgeon plots cautious lockdown exit with school reopening and care home visits
Nicola Sturgeon will today plot a cautious exit from lockdown focused on the return of schools and extending visits to care homes and social bubbles. The first minister has insisted she is “very keen” for the phased return of schools to begin next week amid “encouraging” data on Covid-19 dates.Nicola Sturgeon will today plot a cautious exit from lockdown focused on the return of schools and extending visits to care homes and social bubbles. The first minister has insisted she is “very keen” for the phased return of schools to begin next week amid “encouraging” data on Covid-19 dates.Nicola Sturgeon will today plot a cautious exit from lockdown focused on the return of schools and extending visits to care...
Read the full story‘Anti-Scottish’ Johnson is driving rise of nationalism
Boris Johnson is leading an “anti-Scottish” government that risks driving extreme nationalism with its refusal to engage with a second independence referendum, a former Welsh Labour first minister has claimed. Carwyn Jones said it would be “very difficult to oppose” another constitutional ballot if the SNP won a majority at May’s Holyrood...Boris Johnson is leading an “anti-Scottish” government that risks driving extreme nationalism with its refusal to engage with a second independence referendum, a former Welsh Labour first minister has claimed. Carwyn Jones said it would be “very difficult to oppose” another constitutional ballot if the SNP won a majority at May’s Holyrood...Boris Johnson is leading an “anti-Scottish” government that risks driving extreme nationalism with its refusal to engage with a...
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Nicola Benedetti in appeal to save musician with cancer
Nicola Benedetti has made an emotional plea to raise £300,000 to save the life of a “phenomenal” fellow musician. The French-American violinist Corinne Chapelle has launched a crowdfunder to seek the money to help her pay for targeted medical treatment, having been diagnosed with an inoperable cancer. Chapelle, 44...Nicola Benedetti has made an emotional plea to raise £300,000 to save the life of a “phenomenal”...Nicola Benedetti has made an emotional plea to raise £300,000 to save the life of a “phenomenal”...
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Coronavirus
Even blizzards can’t chill islanders’ spirit
We can hit carbon targets by 2030, minister insists
The environment secretary has insisted she is “pretty confident” Scotland can hit its climate change targets, despite expert advisers describing them as on the “fringes of credibility”. Chris Stark, the chief executive of the Committee on ...The environment secretary has insisted she is “pretty confident” Scotland can hit its climate...The environment secretary has insisted she is “pretty confident” Scotland can hit its climate...
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Teenager, 18, researched baby torture
A teenager who researched the torture and murder of babies has been ordered to see a forensic psychologist. Denen Anderson, who downloaded a video of a toddler being raped and kept notes about killing babies, was due to appear...A teenager who researched the torture and murder of babies has been ordered to see a forensic psychologist. Denen Anderson, who downloaded a video of a toddler being raped and kept notes about killing babies, was due to appear...A teenager who researched the torture and murder of babies has been ordered to see a forensic psychologist. Denen...
Read the full storyTidal energy turbine goes into deployment overseas
A Scottish built tidal energy turbine has been successfully deployed in Japanese waters. The AR500 kit was designed, manufactured and assembled by Simec Atlantis Energy. The equipment is generating electricity as part of a...A Scottish built tidal energy turbine has been successfully deployed in Japanese waters. The AR500 kit was designed, manufactured and assembled by Simec Atlantis Energy. The equipment is generating electricity as part of a...A Scottish built tidal energy turbine has been successfully deployed in Japanese waters. The AR500 kit was designed...
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Alex Massie
MacAwbers on both sides live by blind hope
Andrew Dunlop
For the Union to survive it must benefit all of us
Football
Gerrard dares to dream of his greatest moment
Steven Gerrard believes leading Rangers to their first league championship in a decade would rank alongside the greatest achievements of his career. As he nears the end of his third season in charge of the Ibrox club, Gerrard needs just 13 points from nine matches to complete their journey back from financial meltdown in 2012. While he admits that plenty of work has...Steven Gerrard believes leading Rangers to their first league championship in a decade would rank...Steven Gerrard believes leading Rangers to their first league championship in a decade would rank...
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Football
Sturgeon: Stop breaking Covid rules
Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, has demanded that Scottish football put its house in order amid fears an alleged...Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, has demanded that Scottish football put its house in order amid fears an alleged breach of Covid-19 protocol by Rangers players could jeopardise the season. The Ibrox club have been conducting an investigation into an incident in the early hours of Sunday morning, when police...Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, has demanded that Scottish football put its house in order amid fears an alleged breach of...
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Call for more mass vaccine hubs on west coast to deter travel
More mass vaccination centres are needed along the west coast to avoid people having to travel long distances to be inoculated, TDs have said. Yesterday the government announced 37 vaccination locations around the country, including four in Dublin and five in Cork. Of those 37 there will be...More mass vaccination centres are needed along the west coast to avoid people having to travel long distances to be inoculated, TDs have said. Yesterday the government announced 37 vaccination locations around the country, including four in Dublin and five in Cork. Of those 37 there will be...More mass vaccination centres are needed along the west coast to avoid people having to travel long distances to be inoculated...
Read the full storyEducation minister was told she could have ‘blood on her hands’ over school reopening
The education minister was told she could be left with blood on her hands if Leaving Certificate students were forced to return to school. The email to Norma Foley was one of more than 2,000 sent over ten days last month after she announced on January 6 that Leaving Certificate students and those in special education schools and classes...The education minister was told she could be left with blood on her hands if Leaving Certificate students were forced to return to school. The email to Norma Foley was one of more than 2,000 sent over ten days last month after she announced on January 6 that Leaving Certificate students and those in special education schools and classes...The education minister was told she could be left with blood on her hands if Leaving Certificate students were forced to return...
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Risky loans pushing up the cost of mortgages
Irish banks are required to hold three times more capital for mortgages than their European counterparts, which is driving up the cost of borrowing, a new report has found. The study found that despite the introduction of strict mortgage lending rules in Ireland 2016 there is still a perceived higher risk for...Irish banks are required to hold three times more capital for mortgages than their European...Irish banks are required to hold three times more capital for mortgages than their European...
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Bid to restrict Northern Ireland’s new abortion laws begins
An attempt to amend Northern Ireland’s recently liberalised abortion laws to make them more restrictive has been launched at Stormont. The private member’s bill is seeking to repeal a specific provision that allows terminations up to birth in...An attempt to amend Northern Ireland’s recently liberalised abortion laws to make them more...An attempt to amend Northern Ireland’s recently liberalised abortion laws to make them more...
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Comment
Squeezed middle are key to political victory
Stephen Bush
Voters aged between 30 and 50, who tend to have school-age children, are the group Tories and Labour need to win over
Melanie Phillips
Israel shows the dangers of lifting lockdown too early
Max Hastings | Notebook
We are all prisoners of the times we live in
Libby Purves
Seafarers’ lives are dangerous, grim and uncertain
Justin Webb
Biden could split his party over immigration
Leading Articles
Gift of the Jab
The success of the first phase of vaccination is an extraordinary achievement for the government and the NHS. The test will be to ensure that all are adequately protected
Wealth of Shame
Neil Woodford should be banished from the investment industry
Foreign Legions
France is growing tired of being a Saharan gendarme
Readers' poll
Is Keir Starmer doing a good job as leader of the opposition?
letters to the editor
Causes and cures for the problem of obesity
Sir, Sir Terence English, FRCS, says that the main cause of obesity is eating too much and that we should “not be embarrassed to say this” (letter, Feb 13). However, he omits to explain why people consuming an identical number of calories have...Sir, Sir Terence English, FRCS, says that the main cause of obesity is eating too much and that...Sir, Sir Terence English, FRCS, says that the main cause of obesity is eating too much and that...
Read the full storySara Tor | Notebook
We must protect our chickens from the language police
Red Box | Victor Adebowale
Beware ministers seeking to reassert control over the NHS
Red Box | Deirdre Michie
The oil and gas industry is determined to achieve a lower-carbon future
Red Box | Clive Betts
People who bought homes in good faith should not pay for cladding failures
Red Box | Hassan Joudi
The UK cannot attend the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in good conscience
This time next year, the eyes of the world will be on Beijing and its hosting of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. It will make it the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Games, giving China a new level of unparalleled international prestige.This time next year, the eyes of the world will be on Beijing and its hosting of the 2022 Winter...This time next year, the eyes of the world will be on Beijing and its hosting of the 2022 Winter...
Read the full storyDaily Universal Register
Briefing
International: Shrove Tuesday.
UK: Unite members, including firefighters, engineers, campus security, baggage operations, and operational and airside workers, begin a 24-hour strike at Heathrow.
Hungary: Liverpool play RB Leipzig in the Uefa Champions League in Budapest. The match was moved because of German travel restrictions.
Switzerland: Glencore publishes its full-year results.
On this day
In 1660 one of the oldest surviving cheques in Britain (for £400) was written by Nicholas Vanacker, a merchant. It was dated “16th of February 1659”, but at the time the year began on March 25, making it a year younger than it looks; in 1960 USS Triton, a nuclear-power submarine, set off on the first submerged circumnavigation, which it completed on May 10, 1960; in 1985 Clive Ponting resigned from his Ministry of Defence post. On February 11 he had been acquitted of breaching the Official Secrets Act relating to documents about the sinking of the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano in the 1982 Falklands conflict. (Obituary, August 1, 2020); in 1998 the Angel of the North, a 20-metre tall sculpture by Sir Antony Gormley, was unveiled. It overlooks the A1(M) near Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
Nature notes
The pretty blue flowers of lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor) can occasionally be seen during the winter months. On hedge banks and in woods it spreads by suckers to form glossy evergreen mats, even in shade, but despite its delicate blooms periwinkle can smother more fragile plants, and is hard to eradicate. Its cousin, Vinca major, is a non-native garden escapee, but some botanists believe lesser periwinkle to be native to the UK. Certainly it’s been here long enough to attract a great deal of contradictory folklore, as its common names attest: flower of death, grave myrtle, sorcerer’s violet, devil’s eye, blue buttons, virgin’s, fairy’s paintbrush and, delightfully, joy-on-the-ground.
Melissa Harrison
Birthdays today
Mahershala Ali, actor, Moonlight (2016; Oscar), Green Book (2018; Bafta and Oscar), 47; Adama Barrow, president of the Gambia, 56; June Brown, actress best known as Dot Cotton in EastEnders, 94; Fred Cuming, landscape painter, 91; Agyness Deyn, model and actress, Hard Sun (2018), 38; Iñaki Ereño, chief executive, healthcare company Bupa, 57; Sir Anthony Dowell, ballet dancer, director, Royal Ballet (1986-2001), 78; Christopher Eccleston, actor, the ninth doctor in Doctor Who (2005), 57; Cathy Freeman, athlete, the first Australian Aboriginal person to win an individual Olympic gold medal (400m, 2000), 48; David Griffiths, artist, portrait of the Prince of Wales (1969), 82; Lord (Peter) Hain, Labour MP for Neath (1991-2015), Northern Ireland secretary (2005-07), 71; Darren Henley, chief executive, Arts Council England, 48; Amanda Holden, actress, TV presenter and judge, Britain’s Got Talent, 50; Michael Holding, cricketer, West Indies (1975-87), 67; Carl Icahn, US hedge fund billionaire and activist investor, 85; Eliahu Inbal, conductor, 85; Ian Lavender, actor best known as Private Pike in Dad’s Army (1968-77, 2016), 75; Sir Simon Lovestone, professor of translational neuroscience, University of Oxford, 60; John McAslan, architect, King’s Cross station concourse, London (2012), 67; John McEnroe, tennis player, Wimbledon men’s singles champion (1981, 1983, 1984), 62; Ice-T (Tracy Marrow), rapper, Cop Killer (1992), and actor, 63; Elizabeth Olsen, actress, Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), 32; Lyn Paul, singer, the New Seekers, Beg, Steal or Borrow (1972), and actress, 72; Valentino Rossi, motorcycle racer, winner of nine Grand Prix world championships, 42; George Russell, racing driver, Formula One team Williams, 23; Andy Taylor, singer and guitarist, Duran Duran, Save a Prayer (1982), 60; The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye), singer-songwriter, Starboy (2016), 31.