EPA The US Congress has passed a stopgap bill to fund federal agencies until 18 February, avoiding a costly government shutdown over the festive season. In a 69-28 vote, the Senate backed the measure approved earlier by the House of Representatives. President Joe Biden is now expected to sign it into law. “I am glad
Month: December 2021
Getty Images US President Joe Biden has come under fire for restoring a Trump-era policy that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed. Migrant groups said reinstating the Remain in Mexico programme would spur crime and violence in border camps. Mr Biden had suspended the policy, calling it “inhumane”, but
Getty Images President Joe Biden has unveiled stricter Covid-19 travel rules as the US confirmed a handful of cases of the Omicron variant from coast to coast. Mr Biden said his plan “doesn’t include shutdowns or lockdowns” and does not expand vaccine mandates. Cases have been detected in California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York and in
Getty Images The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines being used in the UK as boosters give the best overall boost response, according to a UK trial of seven different jabs. The trial is the first study of how well Covid booster jabs work and justifies the UK’s early decision to use these two vaccines for boosters.
Boxing Day, the first British Christmas rom-com led by an all-black cast, is released in cinemas on Friday 3 December. Its writer and director Aml Ameen plays the male lead alongside Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock, in her first film role. Watch their interview with the BBC’s community affairs correspondent Adina Campbell. Producer: Anthea Lee
Getty Images Would-be asylum seekers who cross the US southern border will be sent to Mexico to await claims decisions following the restart of a controversial programme. The US and Mexican governments said Thursday that they will reinstate the Trump-era policy known as Remain in Mexico. US President Joe Biden had suspended the programme, calling
Reuters Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that Europe could be returning to what he called the “nightmare of military confrontation”. At a European security conference in Sweden, Mr Lavrov floated the idea of a new European security pact to try to stop Nato from expanding further east. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
AFP Germany’s national and regional leaders have agreed to bar unvaccinated people from much of public life in a bid to fend off a fourth wave of Covid-19. Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel described the far-reaching measures as an act of “national solidarity”. Only those who have been vaccinated or recently recovered from Covid will be
HoC A Conservative MP has spoken up for the right of voters to elect racists or misogynists if that is who they want to represent them. Sir Desmond Swayne said he hoped his constituents would never make such a choice, but it would be anti-democratic to police MPs’ views. It comes after the standards committee
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Families who lost loved ones during the pandemic have said they are “sickened” by a No 10 Christmas party held during last year’s Covid restrictions. The party took place on 18 December, with a source telling the
Getty Images Health officials say the new coronavirus variant Omicron has now become dominant in South Africa and is driving a sharp increase in new infections. Some 8,500 new Covid infections were registered in the latest daily figures. That is almost double the 4,300 cases confirmed the previous day. By contrast, daily infections were averaging
Reuters Defence lawyers for British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell have been trying to find inconsistencies in the testimony of a key accuser at her trial. The accuser, known as “Jane”, says she was abused by Ms Maxwell and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein aged 14. But on Wednesday, defence counsel Laura Menninger presented documents suggesting Jane was
Reuters The Duchess of Sussex has won the latest stage in her legal fight against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday. The Court of Appeal rejected Associated Newspapers’ attempt to have a trial over its publication of extracts from Meghan’s letter to her father. A High Court judge earlier this year ruled in favour
The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell has begun in New York. Prosecutors say the former girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them, and served them up to be sexually abused.” Maxwell, who’s 59, faces eight charges of sex trafficking and other offences. The BBC spoke to Teresa Helm, who
Getty Images Scientists believe they have found “the trigger” that leads to extremely rare blood clots after the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. The team – in Cardiff and the US – have shown in exquisite detail how a protein in the blood is attracted to a key component of the vaccine. They think this kicks off
The Women’s Tennis Association has announced the immediate suspension of all tournaments in China amid concern for Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai. Peng, 35, disappeared from public view for three weeks after accusing a top Chinese official of sexual assault. WTA chief Steve Simon said he had “serious doubts” that Peng was “free, safe and