EU
Express
BRITISH minister Brandon Lewis lashed out against Brussels after it emerged EU inspectors are carrying unnecessary checks on food products going into Northern Ireland.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland claimed Brussels should “listen to and take into account the experience of people and businesses” after supermarket chains complained the EU was issuing unnecessary checks on food products coming into Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
Mr Lewis accused the EU of “mitigating risks that don’t exist” as he revealed the bloc was imposing checks on Sainsbury’s products even though the supermarket giant does not have any stores in the Republic of Ireland.
The checks, issued under the Northern Ireland protocol of the Brexit agreement, are aimed at ensuring no unauthorised product is introduced in the EU via the border between the Republic and the UK.
Mr Lewis blasted: “At the moment a big supermarket, like Sainsbury’s, cannot send a box of pork pies or packet of ham from one of its stores in England, Wales or Scotland to another branch in Northern Ireland without going through a burdensome regime of checks and processes to allow it to cross the Irish Sea.
“In theory, this is to make sure that there is no risk of ‘non-compliant’ goods ending up in the EU’s single market, via Northern Ireland.
“Except Sainsbury’s does not have any stores in the Republic of Ireland – so such checks are unnecessary.
“They are attempting to mitigate a risk that does not exist.
Illegal migrants
Express
CHANNEL crossings to the UK have doubled since last year.
As of May 16, a total of 3,107 people have made the dangerous trip across the British Channel since January, according to Migrant Watch UK. This is compared to around 1,400 over the same period last year. Earlier this month, nine small boats carrying 209 migrants crossed – the highest number in a single day this year.
It has raised questions about Priti Patel’s overhaul plans for the asylum seeker system, published in March.
The Home Secretary planned to make the crossing “unviable”, and told the House of Commons “enough is enough”.
The plan would see illegal immigrants returned to safer states such as “France and other EU countries”, but many of these nations are understood to have rejected them.
Vaccine
Telegraph
Britain’s vaccines are “highly effective” against the Indian coronavirus variant, government scientists hailed on Saturday night, putting the country back on course for a full reopening by June 21.
In a marked change in tone, Public Health England (PHE) scientists said the first real-world data showed double doses of Pfizer/BioNTech or AstraZeneca were nearly as effective against the emerging Indian strain as they were against the Kent variant.
The findings, from a study which included more than a thousand people who had contracted the Indian variant, were described as “groundbreaking” by a buoyant Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, and “astounding” by Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister.
Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, urged people to get their “vital” second vaccine as soon as it was offered, saying it provided “maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants”.
Scientists found the Pfizer vaccine was 88 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant from two weeks after the second dose, compared to 93 per cent effective against the Kent strain.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was found to be 60 per cent effective against the Indian strain, compared to 66 per cent against the Kent variant, over the same period.
Evening Standard
The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is 88 per cent effective against the Indian variant after two doses, a study by Public Health England (PHE) has found.
Both the Pfizer and Astra Zeneca jabs were found to be almost as effective against symptomatic disease from the B1617.2 strain as they are against the Kent variant after the second dose.
However, they were only 33 per cent effective three weeks after the first dose.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the outcome as “groundbreaking”, while PHE said it expects to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospital admission and death.
The study, which took place between April 5 and May 16, found that the Pfizer vaccine was 88 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant two weeks after the second dose, compared with 93 per cent effectiveness against the Kent strain.
BBC News
The Pfizer and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines are highly effective against the variant identified in India after two doses, a study has found.
Two jabs of either vaccine give a similar level of protection against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant as they do for the Kent one.
However, both vaccines were only 33% effective against the Indian variant three weeks after the first dose.
This compared with 50% effectiveness against the Kent variant.
Public Health England, which ran the study, said the vaccines are likely to be even more effective at preventing hospital admission and deaths.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the findings made him “increasingly confident” that the government was on track for the final stage of easing restrictions in England on 21 June.
The data showed that getting both doses of the vaccine was “absolutely vital”, he added.
Home Secretary Priti Patel, speaking on Sky News, agreed the success of the vaccine programme is “enabling us all to live our lives”.
Mail
Boris Johnson’s ‘roadmap to freedom’ was back on track last night after scientists dismissed fears that Covid vaccinations might be ineffective against the new Indian variant.
Experts at the Government’s world-renowned Porton Down research centre have concluded that the jabs work to stop ‘infection, transmission and hospitalisation’ in the same way as they do with the dominant Kent strain.
In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said that the scientists’ analysis found the variant caused only a minimal reduction in vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease, and was expected to provide high levels of protection against hospitalisation and death.
Meanwhile, Britain is today expected to pass the landmark figure of 60 million first and second doses administered.
As of last night, 37.7 million people, or 71.6 per cent of all UK adults, had received their first jab and 22.1 million, or 41.9 per cent, had received both.
The good news on vaccines combating the Indian variant will boost expectations that Mr Johnson will be able to announce the end of social distancing as hoped on ‘freedom day’, June 21.
Concerns have also been allayed that the Indian strain could be 50 per cent more transmissible than the Kent one, with experts now believing it to be closer to a ‘manageable’ 20 or 30 per cent.
The scientists concluded that the Pfizer vaccine was 88 per cent effective against the Indian variant in preventing symptomatic disease after two doses, compared with 93 per cent against the Kent variant.
AstraZeneca is 60 per cent effective, compared with 66 per cent against the Kent variant.
Telegraph
Millions of Britons had their movements “unwittingly tracked” using their mobile phones to see if vaccinated people moved about more after their jabs, the Telegraph has learnt.
A report from the SPI-B committee of Government scientists admitted that data from one in ten peoples’ phones were tracked in February, without their owners’ express knowledge.
The figures were used by researchers at Oxford University, who carried out studies for the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which advises the Sage group of Government scientific advisers.
Using “cell phone mobility data for 10 per cent of the British population”, the Oxford University experts found 4,254 individuals were vaccinated.
This group was then tracked through 40 “CDR [call data records] with corresponding location observations” every day, and monitored for behavioural change by analysing their data for the week prior and week after the vaccination event.
Evening Standard
Millions of Britons have been “unwittingly tracked” using their mobile phones to see if vaccinated people moved about more after receiving their jabs.
A report from the SPI-B committee of Government scientists revealed that data from one in ten peoples’ phones were tracked in February without their owners’ awareness, the Telegraph reports.
The figures obtained were used by researchers at Oxford University, who carried out studies for the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which advises Sage.
The Oxford University experts found 4,254 individuals were vaccinated using “cell phone mobility data for 10 per cent of the British population”.
Campaigners against greater state surveillance in the UK said Britons would be “disturbed to discover they were unwittingly tracked and subjected to behavioural analysis via their phones”.
Education
Times
Six families are launching a class action to challenge GCSE and A-level grades awarded by teachers last year as concern grows that thousands more teenagers will be awarded the “wrong” marks this summer after exams were cancelled again because of the pandemic.
The six have come forward for the legal action against the Department for Education and the exams regulator Ofqual from more than 1,500 people who joined a Facebook group campaigning for justice for GCSE and A-level pupils who got lower results than expected. More families have joined the group in recent weeks before the announcement of this year’s results.
Last year, marks were awarded by teachers after ministers changed their minds over the use of an algorithm.
Guardian
With predicted A-level grades of A*, A*, A, and national awards for swimming, 17-year-old state-school student Eve Leleux could have expected a string of top university offers in an ordinary year. Instead, with elite universities panicking about being overloaded with high-grade students this summer, she has had no offers to study her chosen course of dentistry.
She is not alone. Teachers and parents across the country are reporting stories of distraught high-flying students who have waited months longer than usual to hear back from top-ranking universities, only to be rejected by all or most of them.
Teacher-assessed A-levels are widely expected to result in far more students netting top grades this August. During last year’s A-level fiasco, some prestigious universities ended up taking up to a third more students than in 2019, despite already being full, after thousands of students had their A-levels marked up. Many students chose to defer to this year, putting further strain on places for 2021.
Universities have to take everyone who meets their offer grades, so with accommodation and facilities already stretched, and social distancing restrictions likely, many elite institutions have made fewer offers than usual to protect themselves.
“My daughter is upset and angry,” said Eve’s mother, Rachel Jenner-Leleux. “She did her first work experience at a dentist when she was 14. She has wanted this for so long.”
Jenner-Leleux, who lives in Telford, obtained data on Liverpool University’s dentistry admissions through a freedom of information request after it turned her daughter down. Last year, the course made 142 offers for 2020 and deferred a further 152 for 2021. This year, it made only 43 offers and deferred 30. Dentistry numbers are capped by the government in England, although last summer they had to remove the cap because so many more students met the top grade requirements.
Russia
Telegraph
Russia’s submarines are circling Britain’s entire coastline, the Defence Secretary has told The Telegraph as he named Moscow as the UK’s “number one adversary threat”.
Ben Wallace revealed a submarine was spotted in the Irish Sea late last year as he attacked Russia for “regularly” sending vessels to Britain. He said the UK’s waters were “regularly visited” by Russian ships and said Moscow had been carrying out “a number of operations, deliberately at Britain”.
Confirmed sightings are rare but at least seven Russian naval ships and a submarine were spotted off the UK last year, and a further 26 ships and one submarine in 2020.
Since 2013, there have been at least 150 instances of Russian naval assets detected by the UK, with Royal Navy fleets often sending a frigate or destroyer to intercept or monitor their movements.
Normally Russian vessels are spotted in the North Sea or English Channel. However, Mr Wallace said a Russian kilo class submarine was spotted in the Irish Sea at the end of last year, adding that the UK had not seen one there “for a very, very long time. It might have been for the first.”
Eurovision
Mail
The Italian band Maneskin leaped for joy as they triumphed at the 65th Eurovision Song Contest in the Netherlands tonight – while Britain’s James Newman finished bottom of the leaderboard with zero points for the second time in a row.
The pop-rock group, who won with scored 524 points in the grand final, beamed with excitement as they waved to the crowds and were confirmed as this year’s 2021 winners at the Rotterdam Ahoy arena in the Netherlands tonight.
Gold glitter rained from the ceiling as the group climbed back on stage to lift the trophy and they were invited to perform their winning song Zitti E Buoni in front of excited crowds once more.
The scenes of celebration came after the UK’s Eurovision hopeful James Newman, who donned a stylish striped leather jacket as he sang his song Embers in front of the 3,500 fans at the arena, tonight smiled to the crowds after receiving zero points from the public vote.
The BRIT award singer had been given odds of just 200/1 by Betfair to win the 65th annual Eurovision Song Contest.
But the artist did not let the poor odds deter him as he performed his lively track in front of a sea of excited Eurovision fans earlier tonight.
Prior to his performance, host Graham Norton, who is once again anchoring the contest on BBC One, encouraged fans ‘to raise a glass to Sir Terry Wogan, who was and always will be the voice of Eurovision’.
Newman, who is the older brother of pop star John Newman, had been ready to perform the ballad My Last Breath at the 2020 contest before it was cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2019, UK contestant Michael Rice also socred zero points.
Although this is far from the first time Britain has scored zero points, Eurovision viewers took to social media to blame Brexit for the UK’s results, with one fan saying: ‘If this doesn’t convince you what impact Brexit has had, I don’t know what will.’
Sun
THE United Kingdom has been humiliated at Eurovision – with James Newman getting ZERO points from the public and the juries.
Britain was the only country to not pick up a single point and came dead last in the competition last night amid more accusations of “political voting”.
Meanwhile, Italy and its act Måneskin took the title with their song Zitti E Buoni.
The Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam rang out with a mixture of boos and cheers as James, 35, received the news he hadn’t picked up a single point.
He rose from his seat at the news and sprayed beer around in mock celebration before returning to his area.
It is the first time the UK has picked up the lowest score it is possible to get in the competition since 2003.
Express
BRITS are fuming online after the UK scored zero points in the Eurovision song contest.
Online critics point the finger at Brexit as one of the key factors in why the UK underperformed amid a year of political battles over vaccines and trade deals. Social media users raged against the eurocentric political show with some calling for the UK to boycott the competition next year.
One angry user tweeted: “SHAME on the nasty Euro-v countries…Jealous of our INDEPENDENCE BREXIT
“Sad little Euro people!!!”
Another said: “Let’s face it. Brexit had sod all to do with UK independence. It was a middle finger to #Eurovision”
A third user said: “Not seen #Eurovision tonight, but from what I’ve heard, it’s time for the #UK to pull out & boycott it next year.
Mirror
James Newman put on a brave face as he received zero points in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest placing him in last place behind Germany – who received three points.
The 35-year-old singer represented the UK technically for a second time after being sent forth to compete in 2020 – only for the contest to be postponed by the coronavirus pandemic.
But if an extra year to prepare was spent with hopes of winning, those dreams were dashed on Saturday night as the UK came last out of all the finalists.
The British singer gave his all with his song, Embers, but it was not enough win a single vote from either the professional jury – or the viewing public.
Telegraph
The public has spoken: after a year of lockdown, it wanted a group of sparsely-dressed, beautiful Italians, playing rock music, to win the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Italian group Maneskin won the public vote by an overwhelming margin, leaving early frontrunners France and Switzerland in second and third place.
A year away from Eurovision led to some significantly improved performances on previous years, but also some harsh voting.
The UK’s act, James Newman, received nul points from both judges and public, in a contest which saw countries vote for the same few acts rather than spreading the love.
Even San Marino, who closed the show and brought in the big guns with a performance from the rapper Flo Rida, only managed to scrape 50 points.
…let’s have a COMMONWEALTH SONG CONTEST ! … long overdue, the range & scale & scope of the affair could knit the sclerotic alliance together with it’s instant truly global tapestry … the virtue signalling phenomenal… ( New Zealand [ Little China ] unsuitable to take part until it mends it’s ways – out of the 5 Eyes, out of the CSC ) .
Each to their own as to whether people enjoy the so called Eurovision spectacle. The results have for some time been politically driven by a country’s position in the European Union set up. We have been on the periphery for some time and now thank goodness we are out of it, and not before time. Time however for Britain to kick into touch anything that contains the word ‘Euro’ including this televisual farce which to me seems to exist to keep untalented presenters like Graham whatshisname in a job. Besides which I thought the original concept of the Eurovision Song Contest was to decide the best ‘song’ in Europe according to its words and melody. From what little I saw on the BBC online news site, two things stuck out like a sore thumb. One in none of the supposed songs could be heard any words, and two there was no tune. So, what is the point to the whole thing I ask………..
…the proposed all singing COMMONWEALTH SONG CONTEST – see above – remedies all the defects delineated here — I had not realised that the ghastly Euro tv fest continued — and burnishes England’s soft power at a stroke. Out go annoying, if not envenomed, Continentals & East Euros and in comes the vivid, global celebration of the sung word that is the CSC.
Well I would have put money on us NOT getting any votes in the Europuerile song contest! Given the ultra venomous attitude of the EU toward Britain (even during our sojourn in their corrupt empire) it was a dead cert that they would take this opportunity to spew out more of their spite upon us! The basilisk is wounded and thrashing about every which way in an attempt to put the final nail in the British coffin! I have to say they are being aided and abetted by our own political administration that wants above all things to return us to the cesspit of Europe as quickly as possible!
Indeed Frederica; all and anything which is preceded by the letters “EU” should be boycotted or simply ignored.
The Telegraph have done it again then. Exposed the purpose of SPI-B and the phone app. It’s to track our every move as well as restrict access to food, cash etc..
C.P.C. ‘social credit system’ here we come.
Personally, I am a great fan of the Eurovision Song Contest and long may it be broadcast. Over many decades it has served to associate anything with the prefix ‘Euro’ in front of it as being a joke. It must surely rank alongside the effect Tony Blair, John Major and the Archbishop of Canterbury in convincing people to Vote Leave.
Jake Bennett ; Well that puts a different complexion on it !!!!!!!
I have at any rate, no right to mock Eurovision Contest fans : I always used to be a fan of WCW Wrestling with Haystack, Hulk Hogan, Lord Regal etc. And Benny Hill. Which says a lot about my taste in entertainment !
Mary, do you mean ‘Giant Haystacks’ by any chance? If so, I would say quote a lot of us tuned into World of Sport on ITV on Saturday afternoon between 4.00 pm and 4.50 pm to watch him and Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree), Mick McManus, Jackie Pallow and the like, commentated upon by Kent Walton, and refereed by those chaps who wore black and white striped tops. Were they all Newcastle United supporters I wonder?
Yes Giant Haystacks. I remember when he and Big Daddy amid enormous hype squared up , then after much squaring- up and posturing walked away from each other. And Hulk Hogan ditto , in a cage with one of the others. Well thank you for the info; so they’re still getting coverage, that’s good.
Mary, well probably not…….All those people I mentioned above are now deceased. As far as I know ITV don’t have wrestling on any longer. In fact World of Sport hit the dust sometime ago. Probably just as well, I mean who could replace the likes of Dickie Davies and the presenters of yesteryear. The modern equivalents are talentless muppets in comparison.
The MSM are insulting the British public by implying that all we care about is the stupid Eurovision Song Contest.
You deserve thousands of gold medals Debbie for daily ploughing through all the garbage thrown at us by MSM.
Re ” the Indian Variant” Vernon Coleman says that the much touted black fungus that allegedly comes with it is certainly caused by the stupid facemasks !
+1 totally agree