Monday 8th February:
–Boris Johnson says he is ‘confident’ in the vaccines. This comes after a study showed that the Oxford vaccine was not very effective against the South African variant. Although, it has shown to be effective against the Kent variant.
–The BBC is increasing the price of their licence fee. People will now have to pay £3.06 a week, which works out as £159 a year. It is the government’s decision how much it will cost after 2022.
–Lewis Hamilton has signed a new contract with Mercedes. This is a one year contract for the 2021 season, it will be his ninth season with Mercedes.
–Storm Darcy is set to continue. The MET Office has issued more warnings for the next few days that the snow and ice is set to get worse.
–There has been an estimated decrease in the economy’s growth. The National Institute of Economics and Social Research (NIESR) says that the UK’s economy will only grow by 3.4% and not by the 5.9% they had previously predicted.
Tuesday 9th February:
–Fines for those who fail to quarantine. Anyone who does not stick to the rules and stays inside the quarantine hotel after returning from a red-list country will face fines reaching £10,000.
–Billy Monger is set to take part in Comic Relief. The racing driver is set to begin is triathlon, which consist of walking, cycling and kayaking for a total of 140 miles, on 22nd February.
–UK temperatures drop below -16.7C. These are the lowest temperatures seen since December 2010. They were recorded in Altnaharra, a place in the Scottish Highlands.
–The oldest person in Europe survives COVID. The French nun, Sister Andre, is 116 and will turn 117 on Thursday. Sister Andre apparently did not have any symptoms.
–The World Health Organisation investigates COVID theories. When investigating whether the virus had leaked from a Wuhan lab, they found no evidence.
Wednesday 10th February:
–Uproar over Sheffield graffiti removal. Celebrities like Yungblud and Richard Hawley have spoken against the removal of a marriage proposal that was graffitied on Park Hill flats 20 years ago.
–Boris Johnson warns people about booking summer holidays. The Prime Minister wants people to take it slowly when the UK emerges from a lockdown.
–A 17,000 shell turns out to be an instrument. The conch that has been sitting in a French museum for around 80 years was actually turned into a horn by the Palaeolithic people.
–The ten-year COVID jail sentences receives backlash. Labour’s attorney general, Charlie Falconer, believes that the policy will not be imposed.
–Trump is permanently banned from Twitter. The social media platform’s chief financial officer, Ned Segal, has said that even if Trump runs for presidency again he will not get his twitter privileges back.
Thursday 11th February:
–Phase 2A of the HS2 project can go ahead. The construction will take place from the West Midlands to Crewe. There has been controversy over this project as pro-HS2 supporters say it will increase economic growth, whilst people against it say it will increase carbon emissions.
–Poll shows that people feel forced to go into work. A study done by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) shows that one in five people still turn up to work when they can work at home.
–Temperatures continue to drop. The freezing temperatures in an Aberdeenshire town, Braemar, plummeted to -23C. They are the coldest conditions recorded since 1995.
–The Last Of Us is getting its own TV show. Pedro Pascal, who starred in The Mandalorian, and Bella Ramsey, who starred as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, will play the characters Ellie and Joel.
Friday 12th February:
–COVID cases are falling in the UK. There has been a significant drop in the amount of Coronavirus cases in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, the case numbers are still high.
–Coca Cola trials first paper bottle. The bottle will have a paper shell with still a little plastic in it. By 2030, the drinks company want to produce zero waste. This new bottle may come as Coca Cola was found to be the biggest plastic polluter in 2020 by Break Free from Plastic.
–It’s the end of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The series co-director, Dan Goor, released a statement that said season 8 will be the last season of the sitcom.
–Capitol mob could have got hold of nuclear codes. On the day of the riot, there was an Air Force Officer who had nuclear launch codes inside a brief case.