With the coronavirus pandemic, divisive US elections and new conflicts flaring up in some parts of the world, 2020 has provided fertile ground for viral misinformation. Conspiracy theories and false claims spread like wildfire, prompting some people to take action in real life. BBC Monitoring’s Olga Robinson takes a look breaks down some of the …
How bad information went viral in 2020 – BBC News Read More »
A post-Brexit trade deal has finally been agreed, four and a half years after the UK voted to leave the European Union. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it would protect jobs and provide certainty for business. After months of talks and frantic last-minute wrangling over fishing, negotiators finally reached agreement on Christmas Eve, …
The UK government has said it is “highly concerned” about two cases of a new mutation of the coronavirus which have been identified in people who have arrived from South Africa. The Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the new strain of the virus is even more infectious than the recent new variant — which is …
New mutated coronavirus from South Africa is “highly concerning” – BBC News Read More »
Six million more people in England are to live under Tier 4 coronavirus restrictions after the UK government said case numbers were rising at a “dangerous rate”. Hospital Covid admissions have reached the highest level since April, at the height of the first wave of the pandemic. The Tier 4 restrictions from 26 December will …
The health secretary has announced two cases have been detected of another new strain of the coronavirus in the UK. Both were contacts of cases who have travelled from South Africa over the past few weeks, he said. He said: “This new variant is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears …
Second “more transmissible” strain of coronavirus detected in UK – BBC News Read More »
The UK government is considering even tougher restrictions to contain the new mutated variant of coronavirus. Its scientific advisers have warned that tougher rules will probably be needed. In England at present more than 17 million people are under Tier 4 rules – the highest level – with people being told to stay at home …
UK facing even tougher restrictions to curb new coronavirus variant – BBC News Read More »
An agreement has been reached between the UK and France to restart the flow of freight between the two countries. The armed forces will be part of an operation to give rapid Covid tests to lorry drivers with a result in around 20 minutes. It will take several days for the system to clear the …
More than 1,500 lorries are stuck in Kent waiting to leave the UK as politicians thrash out a plan to reopen France’s border to trade and travel. France shut its UK border for 48 hours on Sunday amid fears of a new coronavirus variant. More than 50 countries have now banned UK arrivals. Home Secretary …
1,500 lorries stuck in Kent as UK talks to France – BBC News Read More »
The World Health Organization is preparing to visit China next month, after being tasked with investigating the origins of the Covid-19 virus. In the meantime, the BBC has been to Yunnan province in the south of China where a decade-long project has been taking place to sample the viruses carried by bats. But, as our …
Bats, roadblocks and the origins of coronavirus – BBC News Read More »
Boris Johnson’s government is under intense pressure, with the new variant coronavirus spreading rapidly and dozens of countries banning travel from the UK. The UK’s scientific advisers are warning that even tougher restrictions will be needed to contain the new strain of the virus. The prime minister has sought to reassure the public that food …
