Monday 4th January

- The rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has begun in the UK. Brian Pinker, 82, is the first person outside of trials to receive this vaccine. Pinker left the hospital stating that he was “really proud it was invented in Oxford.”
- First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces Scottish Lockdown – She announced that restrictions would be “Similar to March” and would be coming into effect by midnight.
- UK Lenders approved more than 100,000 mortgages in November – This is the highest figure in 13 years. A stamp duty holiday, ending in March, was brought in and caused a rush of home buying.
- 2021 Broadband price rise for Virgin media customers – On average, bills will increase by around 4%, between £30 and £54 annually.
- A level 5 alert was raised and a National lockdown was implemented for a third time – Boris Johnson urged for us all to once again stay home and protect those around us.
Tuesday 5th January

- Bed catches fire leaving woman in a critical condition – The woman, in her 80s, has been left in a serious condition after the fire began at her home.
- Former work has been jailed for Buckingham Palace thefts – A court heard that the former Caterer, Adamo Canto, had attempted to sell some items on eBay.
- Another chain is at the brink of administration – Paperchase – The stationary giant has announced that shop closures have hit hard and they risk losing the business. They have 127 stores and around 1,500 employees.
- Brains beer may start brewing outside of Wales – The company’s chief executive has said the pandemic has been “absolutely brutal” and they are assessing up to 80 job losses.
- Daily Covid results have topped 60,000 – It is estimates that one in fifty people now have the virus, Professor Chris Whitty says.
Wednesday 6th January

- New Car sales in the UK sinks to the lowest level in 30 years – New 2020 car registrations have had a dramatic sink. This is the biggest one-year drop since the Second World War.
- Suspected bird flu outbreak in NI – Initial results confirm the disease at premises in Country Antrim.
- Cancelled exams in England mean relying on teacher’s grades – When awarding this year’s educational results, Gavin Williamson will “trust in teachers rather than algorithms.”
- Eviction ban decision is keeping the Government under high pressure – A decision needs to be made on whether to once again, resume evictions. The PM has been warned of rises in rough sleeping if the ban is lifted.
- Two Louisville Police offers fired after death of Breonna Taylor – Detectives Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes have been dismissed over the fatal shooting in March last year.
- Pro-Trump mod stormed Congress – 4 have died in the attack. The US Capitol was placed under lockdown during the siege. At least 13 were arrested during the clashes on Capitol hill. US Capitol was finally announced as secure at 22:39 (UK Time).
Thursday 7th January

- Spike in online shopping has created problems for Cardiff’s recycling – Cardiff council have estimated extra recycling of around 400 tonnes have been left out after Christmas in comparison to last year.
- Overseas deliveries have been scrapped by hughstreet giant John Lewis – The department store is one of my many British businesses to have executed such a decision.
- Clap for carers returns with new name – It has now been named ‘Clap for Heroes.’ At 8pm, a return of applause was held on the doorsteps of the nation to support the effort shared amongst all dealing with the effects of Covid-19.
- I’m a Celeb set to stay open for visitors – Some of the set used in the show will remain, allowing visitors to get a tour when the castle reopens.
- British Prime minister shares his views on the US Capitol siege – Boris Johnson condemns Donald Trump and says the President is also “completely wrong” over his election fraud claims.
Friday 8th January

- New rules for Northern Ireland fishing boats have created ‘hard border’ – Post-Brexit restrictions on where fishing boats can be used to land their catch has had a huge effect. The number of Irish ports in which they can land has been reduced to two.
- The Archbishop of Wales is set to retire this May – Rev. John Davies has spent almost four years as leader of the Church in Wales.
- A negative test will need to be shown for travellers into the UK – International travellers will need to have a Covid-19 test at least 72 hours before departing to the UK.
- Third Covid vaccine approved for use in the UK – The vaccine is made by US company Moderna and works in a similar way to the Pfizer vaccine that is already being offered on the NHS.