put up a fight, and it s meant to a contest, what has come over in this test match is that australia have a team, they have readied themselves for it, they have made sure their preparations are right. as england is a team that has just got together, there were a few lads in the park, roaming around and the england lads said, do you want to play some cricket? play. that is the impression that has been given throughout this test series. the selection has been dubious. the way it has been made has been dubious, and one of course admits, the pandemic, preparations are difficult, there are all sorts of restrictions but that applies to both sides and i think that has made this a very, very painful series to watch. you don t mind your team losing, of course you want your team to win but you want them to show a bit of fight, a bit of resolve and this is what england has not shown. 0k,
that there won t be more restrictions injanuary. and labour is calling for the government to publish the data and advice it receives when making its decisions. england is now on a divergent path from scotland, wales and northern ireland. ..but it s not yet clear whether that will also lead to different results in trying to keep the virus under control. iain watson, bbc news. the french government has defended the introduction of new coronavirus measures as proportionate . employees will be expected to work from home more and bars and cafes will only serve customers who are seated at tables. and there are plans to exclude people who aren t vaccinated from some entertainment venues even if they have a negative covid test. an israeli hospital has administered a fourth covid i9 vaccine dose as part of a trial to a group of health workers. it s the first major study into whether a second round of boosters will help contend with the fast spreading omicron variant. results of the trial
100 of borisjohnson s own mps rebelled earlier this month against the introduction of covid passes in england. if the prime minister had tried to push more measures through this week, he could have faced even fiercer resistance. as long as the nhs is not overwhelmed, then we stay, keep the uk open for business, keep our schools open because the collateral damage to wider society and the economy of any lockdown measures are very much underestimated. but ministers are still concerned about the effect of self isolation and sickness on nhs staffing levels so they ve given no guarantees that there won t be more restrictions injanuary. and labour is calling for the government to publish the data and advice it receives when making its decisions. england is now on a divergent path from scotland, wales and northern ireland. ..but it s not yet clear whether that will also lead to different results in trying to keep the virus under control. iain watson, bbc news. chris hopson is the chief execu
on restrictions yesterday. the times features an image from yesterday s holcombe hunt in lancashire. the meet, which is traditionally held on boxing day, was delayed this year as it fell on a sunday. and this morning s yorkshire post has an image of a traditional sword dance, staged in the south of the county yesterday by members of the grenoside sword dancers. they are one ofjust five remaining traditional longsword dance groups in the uk. i have two little bits from the inside of the paper. the put on instagram yesterday, over the christmas period. a family picture, all the beckhams in front of the christmas tree. if you look closely down here you can see david beckham is actually on his tiptoes because his boys are too tall stop you that there is nothing wrong with that, i am in my tiptoes most of the time. a
it s tuesday the 28th of december. the hospitality sector has welcomed the decision not to impose further coronavirus restrictions in england this week describing it as a lifeline to pubs, bars and clubs relying on new year trade for their survival. the health secretary, sajid javid, announced yesterday that the government would wait untiljanuary before re evaluating the situation. record numbers of coronavirus cases were recorded in england on christmas day. here s our political correspondent, iain watson. with christmas celebrations coming to a close, there had been fears of a much bleaker new year. with covid cases continuing at high levels, scotland, wales and northern ireland have all imposed new restrictions. but in england, the emphasis for the time being is on caution, not compulsion. we think some 90% of cases now across england are this new omicron variant, so it shows you just how quickly it has spread. we have had news in recent days that it s milder. now, that in itsel