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Main article: Celebrities to drive vaccine adoption
Good morning to all. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories you need to catch up on this morning.
Boris Johnson will present an impact assessment of coronavirus restrictions today in an effort to convince his advocates to support the introduction of a new tiered system in a crucial Commons vote tomorrow. The prime minister has written to the Covid Recovery Group of MPs to allay concerns about the economic impact of the new tier restriction structure planned for England when the national lockdown ends this week, telling them that he believes “the worst is over.” It will point to data showing that infections in England have dropped by a third during the shutdown, with new cases in the North West halving. However, dozens of MPs are still expected to abstain or vote against the measures, which will see 99% of the population placed under the top two levels of restrictions. In order to prepare the country for mass vaccination against Covid-19, the NHS is planning to recruit “no-nonsense” celebrities to champion the vaccine amid concerns of low uptake. Marcus Rashford, the Manchester United footballer who has advocated expanding free school meals around the holidays, could be one of the faces of the campaign, alongside members of the royal family.
In the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, warned that Americans were facing “wave after wave” of new cases in the wake of the Thanksgiving holiday. More than 4 million Americans contracted Covid in November. In Australia, food waste has skyrocketed thanks to pandemic-related panic purchases, a report claims, with households throwing away 13% of their food. Follow all the happenings overnight in the pandemic on our live blog here.
Sunak Questions – The Chancellor’s wife, Rishi Sunak, owns 5% of a restaurant business that channeled investments through the tax haven of Mauritius, in a structure that could allow its backers to avoid taxes in India. International Market Management hopes to build a chain of dozens of restaurants across India through franchise agreements with Jamie Oliver and the American fast food brand Wendy’s. Akshata Murty’s involvement has emerged from an investigation by The Guardian into a number of financial assets held by Sunak and his close family, many of which have not been declared in the official register of ministerial interests. The government ethics watchdog was asked to assess whether Sunak has violated the ministerial code.
New pastures – Agriculture in England is facing its biggest shock in 50 years under plans set out by the government today as it prepares for post-Brexit farm policy. The £ 1.6bn subsidy farmers receive each year for simply owning land will be phased out by 2028, and the funds will instead be used to pay them to restore wild habitats, create new forests, boost soils and reduce use. of pesticides. The wealthiest landowners will face the most drastic cuts, starting at 25% in 2021.
Arcadia Menace – MPs have urged Sir Philip Green, head of Arcadia’s retail empire, to dip into his personal fortune to fill a gap in the company’s pension fund ahead of the group’s expected collapse in management. The group that includes high street accessories such as Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Burton is expected to enter administration today after a bailout deal was not reached over the weekend. The collapse of the company, with the potential loss of 13,000 jobs, would be the biggest business failure of the pandemic and a major personal blow to Green, one of Britain’s most controversial business bosses.
Search for the Pyrenees – Police are searching the French Pyrenees for a British woman who has disappeared after taking a solo mountain hike along the Spanish border. Esther Dingley, 37, who has been traveling the continent for six years with her partner, Dan Colegate, was last heard from a week ago. Colegate had stayed in the Gascony region of France while she made the trip. “I need her back. I can’t face the alternative, ”he wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
Important problem – The president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden, broke his foot while playing with his dog. It was initially reported that Biden, who is 78 years old, had only suffered a sprain after Saturday’s incident, but subsequent tests revealed a fracture. The dog, a German shepherd named Major, was adopted by Biden and his wife in 2018. Despite the drama, Biden appointed an all-female media team as he prepares to receive his first presidential intelligence report later today. Kate Bedingfield, the communications director for Biden’s successful career for the White House, will serve as the White House communications director, and Jen Psaki, a longtime Democratic spokeswoman, will serve as his press secretary. Outgoing President Donald Trump lashed out at the judges after another judicial setback in his legal attempts to reverse the election result.
Today in Focus Podcast
The Guardian US reporter Sam Levin has been speaking with Bounchan Keola, who is being detained by US immigration authorities and faces deportation to Laos, a country he left when he was four years old, despite having risked his life to fight wildfires in California this year.
American firefighter faces deportation to Laos
Lunchtime Reading: Kerry Washington on Scandal and Royal Politics
She hit the big time playing the powerful political fixer Olivia Pope on Scandal. Kerry Washington tells Ellen E Jones about her true political activism in the election campaign of Kamala Harris and her fellow Democrats, raising the question of what someone who lives and breathes politics is doing in Ryan Murphy’s musical The Prom.
Sport
Romain Grosjean’s remarkable escape from a violent high-speed accident at the Bahrain Grand Prix, won by Lewis Hamilton, has been hailed as a testament to the quest for safety in Formula One. Daniel Ricciardo, the Renault driver, he criticized “Hollywood” coverage of the crash, saying he disliked Formula One showing endless replay as drivers waited for the race to restart. Edinson Cavani, who came into half-time, scored twice as Manchester United rallied two goals against at half-time to win 3-2 at Southampton. But the Uruguayan could face a three-game suspension if the FA believes he used discriminatory or racist language in an Instagram story shared from his post-match account. José Mourinho said Tottenham was “just a pony” and not a horse in the race for the Premier League title despite his team returning to the top of the table with a 0-0 at Chelsea. Forward Raúl Jiménez was conscious and responding to treatment when he arrived at the hospital after a nasty clash with David Luiz during the Wolves’ 2-1 win at Arsenal.
Dawid Malan returned to the scene of his first-class debut to help England claim a four-wicket victory over South Africa, sealing the Twenty20 series with a match to spare and further underscoring his own value to the team. England’s Fall Nations Cup final against France on Sunday risks becoming a sham after Les Bleus named a desperately exhausted team for the Twickenham showdown. Nick Tompkins of Wales has apologized to his supporters for the lack of offensive rugby in the tournament. Diego Maradona’s personal physician has denied responsibility for the former soccer player’s death after police raided his home and surgery on Sunday, seizing laptops, medical records and mobile devices. And Papa Bouba Diop, the former Senegalese midfielder who scored the first goal of the 2002 World Cup against France, has died at 42.
Deal
Telcos have been told they should stop installing Huawei equipment on UK 5G networks from next September. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden has set out a roadmap to eliminate what the government sees as high-risk providers, such as the Chinese tech conglomerate, ahead of the telecommunications (security) bill that goes before parliament. The FTSE100 will open lower around 0.3% this morning, according to futures trading. The pound is worth $ 1,334 and € 1,114.
The papers
the guardian leads with “NHS to use celebrities in campaign to encourage adoption of Covid vaccine” while the Telegraph takes a different line related to Covid – “Cash for restaurants and pubs to quell riots.” the Quick splashes on Boris Johnson’s latest attempts to unite the nation – “PM: ‘Unity and Resolve’ Will Help Beat the Virus” – and the Star reports how military intelligence officers will be deployed to counter anti-vaccine propaganda on social media. “Army to crush the bandits of vaccines,” he says.
the Mail claims victory in his campaign to raise funds for hospitals – “How He Made Britain Proud” – and Mirror urges the nation to go on a spending spree: “Go shop for Britain.” the FOOT Leads with “Brussels Launches Radical Reset of US Relations in Post-Trump Era”, while Times is proud of agricultural restructuring: “Brexit will transform our fields and farms.”
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