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Netflix has transformed London's West End into Hong Kong to shoot scenes for the highly anticipated fifth season of their royal drama The Crown. The series, which will return to small screens in November next year, appears to be recreating the handover of Hong Kong, Britain's last major overseas territory, to the People's Republic of China in July 1997. The handover of the region ended more than 150 years of British control over the territory and was attended by Prince Charl...

There will be no further Covid restrictions in England before the new year, Sajid Javid has said. But the health secretary said people should "remain cautious" and celebrate outside on New Year's Eve if possible. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ministers would continue to monitor the data and urged people to get their "first, second or booster jab without delay". Meanwhile, both England and Scotland reported record cases over Christmas. Some 113,628 new infections were reported...

Prime central London real estate suffered badly during the pandemic but is tipped to lead the market in 2022, says estate agent Winkworth. The return of overseas buyers means expensive central London houses should lead the British property market next year when it comes to price growth, according to estate agent Winkworth. Prime London real estate suffered during the pandemic as overseas buyers fled and some Londoners moved out of the capital. But international buyers are now returning, wi...

Covid: No new restrictions in England before Christmas - Boris Johnson In a video clip released on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said the government couldn't rule out additional restrictions after Christmas and pledged to "do whatever it takes" to protect the health of the nation. He added that given the ongoing uncertainty over Omicron's severity and the impact of vaccines, there was not enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas. He said people can go ahead with th...

People infected with Covid in England can stop self-isolating up to three days early if they test negative twice, it has been announced. They will now be able to end quarantine after seven days instead of 10 by providing negative lateral flow results on day six and day seven. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it would minimise disruption caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. He said the change was based on the latest guidance from health experts. The change comes amid a ...

A trial has begun of a new needle-free Covid-19 vaccine to protect against future variants of the virus. The vaccine, administered through a jet of air, has been developed by Prof Jonathan Heeney of Cambridge University and chief executive of DIOSynVax. Participants, aged between 18 and 50 years old, will take part at the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility. Prof Heeney said: "As new variants emerge and immunity begins to wane we need newer technologies." The vaccine, DIOS-Co...

LONDON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The Bank of England on Thursday became the world's first major central bank to raise interest rates since the coronavirus pandemic hammered the global economy, and warned inflation was likely to hit 6% in April - three times its target level. Surprising investors for the second time in six weeks, the BoE said it had to act now, even as the Omicron coronavirus variant sweeps Britain because it saw warning signs in underlying inflation pressures. The nine-membe...

Durham and Hartlepool have failed to return to pre-housing crash levels of 14 years ago when prices went into meltdown. Overall, the cost of property continues to soar during the pandemic, figures show - but there are some notable exceptions. Recent statistics, released by home setup service Just Move In, show the average home in Durham was £119,447 in the latest Land Registry figures - £2,890 below its £122,337 pre-crash peak. House prices in Hartlepool are £129...