🚢 P&O Ferries: The Maritime & Coastguard Agency is detaining one of the company’s ships- The Pride of Kent The ship being detained in Dover-was launched in 1991

It’s failed the tests required by the MCA - remember the MCA was testing to make sure the new crew (agency staff employed at lower cost) were fully trained and could safely operate the ships and all paperwork etc was in place

Does the UK government also think Putin should go?

Education Secretary @nadhimzahawi “that’s up to the Russian people” Zahawi says no sanctions can come off until a full ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian forces

🇺🇸 The most extraordinary fall from grace continues…

New York appeals court suspends Rudy Giuliani’s law licence in the state

🗳 Because there was “uncontroverted evidence” he made false statements to courts and the public about the 2020 US presidential election Attorney Disciplinary Committee: “This country is being torn apart by continued attacks on the legitimacy of the 2020 election & our current president Biden. The hallmark of our democracy is predicated on free & fair elections. False statements intended to foment a loss of....

🏳️‍🌈 🇳🇱 Real leadership in Europe: Netherlands Prime Minister says Hungary should no longer be in the EU following its anti-LGBT law

Mark Rutte: "For me, Hungary has no place in the EU anymore” Rutte if they refuse to withdraw the legislation: “then as far as I am concerned, then there is nothing left for them in the EU”

“This is such a fundamental point, that if we let that go, we are nothing more than a trading block and a currency”

📺 Government confirms possible privatisation of Channel 4

Launching consultation on sale because “moving into private ownership and changing its remit could help secure its future as a successful and sustainable public service broadcaster” #Channel4 📺 It’s currently publicly owned & funded by advertising

Broadcaster’s management has warned it could lead to some programmes being cancelled

CEO: “Have always got to be careful about doing something that might be irreversible & possibly damage things we do for the sector & UK”

🚆📱NEW: TfL awards contract to deliver 4G on ALL of Tube

🚧 Work underway now & first stations by end of next year: Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Euston, Bank, Camden Town

🌎 BAI Communications gets 20 year contract to provide most advanced network of its kind in world London Mayor Sadiq Khan: said: “I promised Londoners if they re-elected me for a second term I would deliver 4G throughout the Tube network. It’s already up & running on the eastern half of the Jubilee line & I’m delighted to announced today I am fulfilling that commitment…

💉 NEW: AstraZeneca responds directly to safety concerns about blood clots following Covid vaccine- strongly refutes a link -says no evidence of increased risk

Says the number of people suffering blood clots after vaccination is LOWER than would be expected in general population AZ: “careful review of all available safety data of more than 17m people vaccinated in the EU & UK has shown no evidence of increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country”

NEW: Mayor of London: “I asked the Commissioner...to give me an explanation of yesterday’s events. I am not satisfied with the explanation they have provided”

https://twitter.com/mayoroflondon/status/1371119517645078529

Remember: the Met Commissioner is directly accountable to BOTH the Mayor and the Home Secretary - one a Labour politician, one a Conservative

It feels like many will think the Met has made a terrible miscalculation today that will look awful for days and weeks to come.

Now facing its greatest crisis since Stephen Lawrence? The videos now circulating on social media will be played out across mainstream UK (and possibly global) media for days to come- this is going to be a *huge* crisis and I expect will lead to questions about just how tenable is the position of the current leadership of the Met.

💉 NEW: New study from Scotland shows vaccines massively reduce the risk of hospitalisation

By the 4th week after first dose- the risk of hospitalisation is reduced by:

📉 Pfizer ⬇️ 85%
📉 AstraZeneca ⬇️ 94% 🧬 This is real world data in a study by scientists from the University of Edinburgh, University of Strathclyde and Public Health Scotland

🔐 No more tiers: restrictions will be eased across England-no regional differences

⏰ PM announces roadmap this afternoon

4️⃣ Roadmap has 4 steps

🗓 Easing starts March 8th

🌳 Outdoor activities restart before indoor ones

🗳 MPs to vote on new regulations in coming weeks 🔐 4 tests to continue each step of roadmap

1️⃣ vaccine rollout continues successfully
 
2️⃣ vaccines effective in reducing hospitalisations & deaths
 
3️⃣ no resurgence of hospitalisations that pressure NHS
 
4️⃣ risks not fundamentally changed by new variants

💉 NEW: One dose of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine offers 76% protection after day 22 post vaccination - and offers sustained protection through a 3 month period until second dose New analysis by Oxford University

▶️ vaccine shows sustained protection of 76% during the 3-month interval until the second dose

▶️ analyses shows single standard dose efficacy from day 22 to day 90 post vaccination of 76% with protection not falling in this three-month period

💉💸 Stark difference between big pharma over COVID

🕊 AstraZeneca & Johnson&Johnson will produce their vaccines not for profit during pandemic

💵 Pfizer now expects $15 BILLION in revenue for its vaccine THIS YEAR

💵 with profit margin in the high 20s % -could be $4bn profit 🇺🇸 🇩🇪 Pfizer splits costs and profits with BioNTech

💉 It’s vaccine costs about $20

💷 AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is more like $4

🌍 that vaccine will be provided to the developing world at cost in perpetuity

💉 NEW: UK orders 40m more doses of the Valneva Covid vaccine for next year

📊 It now has total 100m doses on order with options for 90m more doses between 2023-25

Planning for an ongoing, long term vaccination programme being stepped up

🗓 Trial data due in next 3 months 💉 🇫🇷 French Minister says it will start receiving AstraZeneca vaccine from next week