World Health Organisation experts tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus toured a Wuhan propaganda exhibition celebrating China‘s recovery from the pandemic today. The group also had a meeting at the hospital where the first confirmed Covid-19 cases were treated over a year ago. Details of the trip have been scant so far, … Read more
With the stamp duty holiday set to end on 31 March, some home buyers are pushing to complete their purchases in order to benefit from a tax saving of up to £15,000. The threshold for paying the tax was increased in July last year from £125,000 to £500,000 in England and Northern Ireland, in an … Read more
Where the best savings rates can now be found: As a rise in inflation wipes out returns we round up the top accounts Number of inflation-beating deals has fallen from 703 to 288 This time last year the top easy-access account paid 1.41% – it now pays 0.5% The best rate in our tables is … Read more
University of Manchester is mocked after suggesting students struggling with lockdown and exam pressure should learn to fold socks or parallel parking to de-stress University of Manchester gave pupils some tips on ‘beating the January blues’ The university unusually urged them to keep busy by learning ‘how to fold socks’ Other tips included ‘learning how … Read more
Boris Johnson has congratulated Joe Biden on being sworn in as the 46th president of the United States as he said the nation had been through a ‘bumpy period’ under Donald Trump. The Prime Minister said America’s leadership is ‘vital’ to the rest of the world, from tackling the climate crisis to the coronavirus pandemic, as … Read more
Life throws tough experiences at us all: bereavement, divorce, redundancy and serious illness are the kind of challenging events that create huge stress. This manifests in our bodies and our minds. Stress makes us feel miserable and unwell: it stops us from sleeping soundly and affects concentration; our confidence gets knocked and we lose the … Read more
A few years ago, I wrote a book about confidence and how to achieve it. ‘Oh great,’ a pal scoffed when I told him about it. ‘You’re writing a training manual for annoying people.’ The actual word he used to describe the sort of people he thought my book was aimed at was rather stronger. But … Read more
People who have survived COVID-19 may have some protection against getting reinfected after all, a new study suggests. Scientists at Rockefeller University found that a type of immunity, from memory B cells, lasts at least six months. B cells ‘remember’ how to make antibodies against viruses, including the one that causes COVID-19. And these cells … Read more
When I began working as a neurosurgeon more than 25 years ago, the idea of improving your brain seemed a rather misguided one. After all, I was trained to remove tumours, clip aneurysms and relieve pressure from collections of blood and fluid inside people’s heads. Despite all the advances in technology, even today, it is … Read more
For much of the past 12 months we have been dealing with a pandemic that has taken an enormous toll on our health, wealth and general sense of wellbeing. Another harsh lockdown brings new challenges — but at least, with the roll-out of a mass Covid-19 vaccination programme, the end is in sight. Now though, … Read more