Cities and Countries: news and gossip
Latest news from Britain
A granddad and his son are accused of human trafficking offences after a man was found in a shed which he had allegedly lived in for 40 years.
Latest news from Manchester
direct to your inboxSome of the most deprived areas of Greater Manchester have seen the lowest levels of vaccine uptake.Areas of Rusholme, Longsight and Moss Side, in south Manchester, have particularly low rates.In Moss Side West, just 65.67 per cent of over 65s have been vaccinated - the lowest in Greater Manchester aside from university areas.In stark contrast Hale Barns - one of the most affluent areas in the region - has the highest percentage of vaccinated adults in the region.Health chiefs say there are “clear divisions” in uptake across wards.And there are concerns that people from communities already disproportionately affected by Covid-19 will be further disadvantaged.Vaccine hesitancy may be linked to misinformation, as well as
direct to your inboxEvery local authority in Greater Manchester is preparing to raise council tax bills from April to keep services running despite the financial impact of Covid-19.The budgets of town halls across the city-region have been hit hard by the pandemic, with some councils having to plug huge gaps in their finances.While the government has paid out millions of pounds in emergency funding to councils, their leaders say the money does not go far enough.The government has also allowed local authorities to increase council tax by 4.99 per cent, including a 3 per cent top-up of adult social care budgets.But many leaders, some of whom are begrudgingly agreeing to the maximum uplift, see council tax as a ‘regressive’ way of funding
Latest news from USA
Tim Gray Senior Vice PresidentHulu’s “The United States vs Billie Holiday” won the top prize and Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) was a double winner in AARP Magazine’s annual awards, while “This Is Us” and “The Queen’s Gambit” were saluted in AARP’s first TV honors.The winners:Picture/Movie for Grownups: “The United States vs.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterHulu is heading to high school. The streamer has greenlit production on “Sex Appeal,” a teen comedy about the not-so-exact science of love.Directed by Talia Osteen in her feature directorial debut, “Sex Appeal” will star Mika Abdalla (Netflix’s “Project Mc2”) and Jake Short (Hulu’s “All Night”).
Latest news from Scotland
Ayrshire.Data has been published by the Scottish Government this afternoon as part of its national COVID-19 daily briefing.In terms of Public Health Scotland's rolling seven-day infection rate per 100,000 population, North Ayrshire stood at 69.8 as of Wednesday, March 3. In East Ayrshire, it was 78.7 while it was 40.8 in South Ayrshire.Falkirk currently has the highest infection rate in Scotland at 143.6.
Neil Lennon's assistant has taken the reins following the Irishman's resignation, opening with a 1-0 victory over Aberdeen last Saturday.The likes of Eddie Howe, Rafa Benitez and Enzo Maresca have featured heavily in the betting but it looks increasingly likely punts on Kennedy could get a payout - regardless of whether he actually gets the job.As a rule, some bookies will pay out on any manager, including a caretaker, who takes charge of the side for 10 games or more.Kennedy, with one fixture already under his belt, has seven Premiership games left to navigate, which left him a few short of that threshold.But the return of the Scottish Cup presents an opportunity for the 37-year-old to further stake his claim.Celtic will play either