Author: BBC

As in previous years, the NHS will let people know when bookings open. Adult flu and COVID-19 appointments will be available through the NHS App and website, or by calling 119 for those who can’t get online. Flu vaccines will also be available through local GP practices and pharmacies. Flu vaccinations for children which will be offered in schools from early next month.

Christmas is a time for celebration for most of us, but for others, it can highlight feelings of loneliness and isolation. Earlier this month, BBC Breakfast’s Jayne McCubbin met Age UK volunteer Barbara. After losing her husband Mike 18 years ago, she stopped celebrating Christmas, but recently Barbara began volunteering – which she says changed her life.She was surprised by Sir Cliff Richard who sent her a video message. Source link

The plane, carrying about 300 Indian nationals, had been grounded over suspected human trafficking. Source link

The agreement makes it easier for British and Swiss finance firms to deal with each other. Source link

Hospital admissions have risen since the summer and a new variant is spreading. Should we be concerned?

Rashmika Mandanna, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Alia Bhatt are among the stars who have been targeted. Source link

In a Christmas Day message, the pontiff pleads for an end to suffering of Israelis and Palestinians. Source link

The US president says the $15bn deal must be investigated on national security grounds Source link

The BBC’s tech editor, Zoe Kleinman, looks ahead to this week’s AI Safety Summit, hosted by the UK. Source link

The inquiry heard that in some countries, children were at the forefront of national concerns. The prime ministers in Norway and New Zealand held TV briefings for children at the start of the pandemic to reassure them and to thank them for all they were doing. “We didn’t have such an event in the UK, despite my requests to No 10 and the prime minister,” Ms Longfield said.While policies on school closures and exam cancellations were broadly similar across the four UK nations, the former children’s commissioner said there were other notable differences.In England, children were not exempt from the…