Banjo musician Anthony Ward takes a long draught of Guinness and looks like he is savouring every drop. The Dubliner can’t go back to gigging yet, but he can at least enjoy a proper pint. “I’ve had one jab myself now so far”, he tells us. Image: Pat Kelleher enjoys at pint at O’Donoghues which
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Hospitalisations for COVID-19 remain “broadly flat” despite a rise in the Indian variant in parts of the UK, the health secretary has said. Matt Hancock told the House of Commons that the majority of people in hospital “appear to be those who haven’t had the vaccine at all”. He also said that only about 1%
World Ocean Day is celebrated every 8 June as a reminder of how integral our seas are to life on Earth. A United Nations initiative, Oceans Day was first declared in 1992 following the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, also known as the Earth Summit, which led to important climate
Google has vowed to make changes to its global advertising business following a settlement with the French competition watchdog, which found it had abused its market dominance. The tech company, which makes most of its revenues through adverts on its search engine and YouTube video platform, was fined €220m (£189m) under the deal. But it
The UK has reported another 5,683 coronavirus cases and one additional death within 28 days of a positive test. Yesterday, official figures showed there were 5,431 new cases of COVID-19 and four deaths. The number of cases recorded has risen by 2,300 in comparison to the same time last week, which saw 3,383 coronavirus cases
A coalition of transatlantic airlines have demanded that President Biden and Boris Johnson lift “overly cautious” travel restrictions between the US and UK given the strength of the two countries’ coronavirus vaccine programmes. The companies, which include all the carriers offering passenger services between the nations and other industry players including Heathrow Airport, argued that
Police say a toddler’s body that washed up on the Norwegian coast on New Year’s Day is that of a boy who died along with his family as they attempted to cross the Channel. The child has been identified as Artin Irannezhad, who was 15 months old when he drowned with his parents and two
Boris Johnson has narrowly avoided a rebellion by some of his own Conservative Party MPs over cuts to the foreign aid budget. Thirty Tories, including former prime minister Theresa May and four other cabinet ministers, had backed a rebellion against the £4bn reduction and had hoped to force a vote on the matter. But Commons
Jeff Bezos takes a look at the New Shepard rocket booster on the landing pad after a successful NS-15 flight and landing in April 2021. Blue Origin Jeff Bezos will fly on the first passenger flight of his space company Blue Origin, which the company plans to launch on July 20, the billionaire announced on
There was much excitement when, in April, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced the launch of a new taskforce between the Treasury and the Bank of England to co-ordinate exploratory work on a potential central bank digital currency. The currency was immediately nicknamed ‘Britcoin‘ although it is unlikely to take that name if or when it
People aged 25 to 29 in England will be able to book their coronavirus vaccination from tomorrow morning. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the extension to the country’s COVID-19 vaccination programme in a statement to MPs in the Commons. Will England’s ‘freedom day’ go ahead? Live updates on the COVID-19 pandemic A total of 40,333,231
“You’re nothing. You’re a ghost, a fat ghost,” says the critical inner voice of disillusioned housewife Sheila Rubin, who spends her days booking rooms in cheap motels to binge on fast food. Beautiful, thin, privileged; on the outside, her life appears perfect. But inside, Sheila, played by Rose Byrne, is battling a complex eating disorder
Cruella, the prequel to Disney’s 101 Dalmatians is reportedly getting a sequel, after its runaway box office success. The film, which stars Emma Stone as the puppy-skinning villain, debuted in cinemas and on Disney+ last month, earning a healthy $48.5m (£34.2m) at the box office. Its hybrid release marks the start of a new way
Downing Street has urged football fans to be respectful of England players who choose to take the knee in a stand against racial injustice. Boris Johnson‘s official spokesperson called on football fans to “get behind” the team at the upcoming European Football Championships which kick off on Friday and to support “individuals’ rights to protest”.
A paedophile who exploited and blackmailed nearly 2,000 victims globally has admitted to 158 charges, in what has been described as “industrial-scale” offending. Abdul Elahi previously admitted a majority of the offences but pleaded guilty to the final allegations at Birmingham Crown Court last month. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Elahi admitted to what
Jeff Bezos has announced he will be flying to space with his brother on July 20. The former Amazon CEO will be among the travellers on the first passenger flight of Blue Origin. Blue Origin’s reusable suborbital rocket system named New Shepard will take its first astronaut crew to space along with Bezos and his
Conservatives rebels have been among those calling on the government to reverse its plan to cut foreign aid. Since 2015, it has been enshrined in UK law for the country to give at least 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) to lower and middle-income countries to aid their development. The plan to reduce the UK’s
The former owner of Formula One motor racing is in talks about a $600m deal that could transform the face of global tennis by combining the organisers of the men’s and women’s tours under a single commercial entity. Sky News has learnt that CVC Capital Partners is in detailed negotiations about an investment in the
A man who raped and killed two schoolgirls can be freed, the Parole Board has ruled. Colin Pitchfork, who was the first man convicted of murder on the basis of DNA evidence, was jailed in 1988 for life after strangling 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986. A document detailing
One Direction star Liam Payne has called off his engagement to US model Maya Henry, less than a year after they announced it. He confirmed the split while appearing on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, revealing it had happened during lockdown. Payne said he is “disappointed” in himself for “hurting people”, and that he