In this issue

November 22, 2021

Pregnant women who have Covid ‘at risk of early birth'

More than 600 babies have been born prematurely and needing critical care to mothers hospitalised by Covid-19, The Independent can reveal – as women were warned they are up to three times more likely to have an early birth with the virus.

5 mins

Javid plays down ‘plan B' calls as Europe cases rise

Sajid Javid has played down the need for the introduction of plan B Covid restrictions in England as parts of Europe reimpose measures in response to a surge in transmissions.

3 mins

Vets face ‘perfect storm' of Covid, Brexit and pet boom

Calls to confidential industry helpline hit record numbers

5 mins

Electric vehicle charging points will be required in new homes, says Johnsom

New homes, supermarkets and workplaces will be required to install electric vehicle charging points as standard from 2022, under new regulations to be announced by Boris Johnson.

2 mins

EU accuses UK of ‘political posturing' during NI talks

European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic has accused the UK of “political posturing” and urged Brexit minister David Frost and his negotiating team to stop “bringing ... new problems to the table”.

2 mins

Tories set for rebellion over ‘stealth' social care changes

Boris Johnson is facing mounting Conservative anger and the prospect of a damaging Commons rebellion over social care reform, after it emerged that poorer pensioners face paying more for the cost of care.

4 mins

Labour accuses Priti Patel of ‘dangerous' failures over migrant Channel crossings

Labour has accused Priti Patel of “dangerous” failures over the issue of migrants crossing the Channel, claiming that the home secretary is more concerned with “diplomatic spats” with the French government.

3 mins

Calls to NSPCC about child sex abuse hit record levels

Record numbers of people have contacted the NSPCC with concerns regarding child abuse during a “surge in publicity” about sexual violence against women and girls.

1 min

MP says ‘anger and codeine' prompted swearing incident

A Tory MP has admitted swearing at Owen Paterson earlier this month at the height of the standards row, saying the incident was fuelled by a mixture of “anger and codeine”.

1 min

‘It's a miracle I'm alive,' says Liverpool terror blast driver

The taxi driver who escaped from the Remembrance Sunday terror attack in Liverpool says it is “a miracle” that he is alive as he thanked the public for their “amazing generosity”.

2 mins

Woolf statue by the Thames deemed ‘insensitive' due to way writer took her own life

A planned statue of Virginia Woolf looking out to the Thames has been criticised as “insensitive and reckless” by a local conservation group.

2 mins

Unhealthy diets are worse for emissions, study finds

Unhealthy food and drink such as cake, sweets and alcohol account for nearly a quarter of diet-related greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study.

2 mins

Home news in brief

Adele tells Spotify to stop automatically shuffling albums

2 mins

Protesters clash with police in Brussels as 35,000 march against Covid restrictions

Police used tear gas and water cannons after violence broke out at the end of a mass demonstration in Brussels over tougher Covid restrictions.

2 mins

Read all stories from The Independent

The Independent Newspaper Description:

The Independent has been at the frontline of journalism since 1986, with its mission to challenge and debate always ahead of its time. The Independent is free-thinking and free of bias in an increasingly fragmented world where communities locally, regionally and across continents are disenfranchised with traditional establishments. They want real facts and frank opinions delivered first-hand from a news source that is ready to stand for something, not everything.