PM Boris Johnson says British public's patience is 'paying off' and that the time bought to vaccinate means the next stage of relaxing the lockdown is confirmed to go ahead next Monday.
Johnson: we set out our roadmap and we're sticking to it. We see nothing in the present data that makes us think we will have to deviate from it. (That's full unlocking/back to normal by July, international travel pending).
Effects of vaccinations from first dose in UK:
Prof Whitty says while first dose is effective they're not completely effective so second dose is still vital.
Rudd (returning to English): It gives me no pleasure that the current state of the US-China relationship is 'probably the worst that we've seen in the nearly half a century.'
Rudd: The key challenge for the future is what we will do for the extraordinary decade of the 2020s which lies ahead
1. Sees China work within the framework of rules-based order that we've been developing together.
There are 30,000 Australians who wanted to make it home (10,000 in India alone) by the end of the year but are effectively locked out by Govt caps and bans...and how many more families who are separated this Christmas by the ban on leaving the country?
Also add, this doesn't account for those with valid visas to enter Australia (or did have) but have been barred from entering and reuniting with their loved ones.
Britain's independent Climate Change Committee urges Australia to adopt its Climate Change Act which legislates carbon reduction targets saying the law is the reason for bringing down UK's emissions since it's introduction in 2008.
The Committee made a submission to Independent MP @zalisteggall's inquiry.
The committee said the legislation provides "clear signals to investors," helps build political consensus and encourages "an evidence-based approach to climate policy."
MP @zalisteggall said the Committee's submission sent a "loud message to the Morrison government to start treating climate change and its impacts seriously".
She has proposed her own bill based on UK's legislation.
MORE good news!!!
AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is 70 per cent effective after first does and COULD be 90 per cent effective after second. And....it has a fridge temperature. ox.ac.uk/news/2020-11-2…
PM Boris Johnson: "Incredibly exciting news the Oxford vaccine has proved so effective in trials. There are still further safety checks ahead, but these are fantastic results."
Australia has an agreement to buy 3.8 million doses and produce 30 million locally, vaccinating 16.9 million people...But with less certainty about AstraZeneca's efficacy rate will people want Pzifer or Moderna's if they can get it/choose.