Monday 30th November:
–Monday 30th November saw Sir Philip Green’s retail empire, Arcadia, facing collapse within a matter of hours. Arcadia includes Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Burton and many more. The company is likely to enter administration shortly, putting over 10,000 jobs at risk.
–Investment scams are said to have quadrupled since the first UK lockdown in March with fraudsters using more sophisticated tactics. Scammers are said to be getting very creative with their tactics cloning manager’s websites, products and even documents to steal almost £10m from British investors.
–Britain and the EU are facing a “very significant” week ahead, British foreign minister Dominic Raab said yesterday, as talks over a trade deal enter their last days with serious discussions yet to be resolved.
–Bar snacks don’t count as a substantial meal. 25,000 Covid fines issued across the UK, and the ‘substantial meal’ is still yet to be confirmed.
Tuesday 1st December:
–Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is at its highest level since 2008. There has been a 9.5% increase from last year and the highest yet in 12 years.
–Debenhams stores to stay open to clear stock. 12,000 jobs are likely to be lost and 124 stores are set to cease trading.
–“Vaccine passports won’t be needed to go to pubs, theatres and stadiums” says Michael Gove to Skynews.
–Star of The Umbrella Academy, Elliott Page- formerely known as Ellen Page, announces he is transgender- The star is known for being in hit films such as Juno and Inception.
–The Queen and Prince Phillip are to skip Christmas at Sandringham for the first time in 33 years. They will instead stay at Windsor where the Queen is said to have installed 6 Christmas trees including one that is 20ft tall.
–German attack in Trier- Car plows through a pedestrian zone that usually houses Christmas markets with five dead. The authorities have not labelled it a ‘terror attack’.
–Rita Ora released a statement apologising and “taking full responsibility.” She breached Covid rules to attend a party in a Notting Hill restaurant, celebrating her 30th Birthday with a large group of friends.
–EasyJet announce that they will be charging at least £8 to bring hand baggage into the cabin. The rules are set to start from travel on and after the 10th of February.
Wednesday 2nd December
–UK Regulator approves Pfizer vaccination being the first country in the world. Vaccinations to take place as early as next week for the most vulnerable in society.
–Jeffree Star sells his Bubblegum pink “barbie dream house” for $3.4 million. Unfortunately, the plot has sold for £220,000 less than he paid for it in 2016.
–Rupert Murdoch has got the go-ahead for his new TV Channel. The channel, called “News UK TV” is set to launch next year.
Thursday 3rd December
–Boris Johnson warns Brits not to get carried away with over-optimism and that our struggle is not yet over. He stressed that the country should remain alert and follow the regulations in place.
–Donald Trump posted a 46-minute statement video on Facebook quoted to be “the most dishonest” statement ever given by a president. This resulted in Twitter and Facebook putting warnings on the video.
–GCSE and A-Level will be given more generous marking in 2021. This will make it as fair as possible in next years exams according to The Department of Education.
–Serious incident declared in Bristol after a large explosion at a warehouse. Four people have been killed and one has been injured and the source of the explosion is yet to be explained, but authorities have declared it was not a terror incident.
–UK Coronavirus deaths pass the 60,000 marks. This milestone has been concluded less than a month after it was announced that the UK had surpassed 50,000 deaths.
–Duchess Camilla targeted by trolls after her portrayal on The Crown on Netflix. The Royal Family’s Instagram posted a picture of Camilla, resulting in over 4,000 comments, mostly from internet trolls.
–Covid-19 vaccine arrived in the UK. The UK have ordered enough to vaccinate 20,000 people.
–UK pledges to cut down greenhouse-gas emissions by two thirds by 2030. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We have proven we can reduce our emissions and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process”
–Volunteer mauled at Carole Baskin’s ‘Big Cat Rescue’. Candy Crouser, 69, a volunteer at Big cat Rescue, broke protocols by sticking her hand into the cage. She had her arm “nearly torn off at the shoulder”. She has been left with serious injuries.
Friday 4th December
–Warner Bros reveals plans to release 2021 blockbusters straight to HBO Max. This includes The Matrix 4 and The Suicide Squad sequel. It is unclear whether Disney and other studios will follow the lead. Ann Sarnoff, the chair and chief executive of Warner media studios said the pandemic called for “creative solutions” and “no one wants film back on the big screen more than we do but we have to balance this with the reality that most theatres in the US will likely operate at a reduced capacity throughout 2021”.
–NHS Staff de-prioritised for Covid vaccine. The decision has been made to prioritise care home staff and hospital in-patients and out-patients aged 80 or over.
–Doctor Anthony Fauci takes back criticism over UK vaccine approval. He stated “I have a great deal of confidence in what the UK does both scientifically and from a regulator standpoint”.
–Joe Biden is to ask Americans to wear face-masks for the first hundred days of him being in office. This will be one of his first tasks as President; he aims to tackle the spread of coronavirus as America has the highest amount of cases across the world.
–In England, the number of Covid cases outside of hospitals and care homes falls by 112,000. The North-east is the only area in which the infection rate hasn’t fallen.
–Giovanna Fletcher has been declared the first “Queen of the Castle”. This year’s season of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here was filmed in Gwrych Castle in North Wales. The Mum-of-3 and wife to Tom Fletcher, McFly, said ‘stepping out of your comfort zone can be scary but amazing’.