More than 78,000 people tested positive for Covid in the UK yesterday - a 50 per cent jump on last week, and eclipsing the previous record of 68,053 during the second wave in January this year.

TOM KERRIDGE: There's no more important month in the restaurant calendar than December. During its 31 days, many hospitality outlets make 25 per cent of their annual revenue.

Strictly star AJ Odudu broke down in tears after suffering ligament damage to her foot, leaving her unable to stand and on crutches just days before the final.

Benedict Cumberbatch, 45, revealed for the first time that his elder and 'brilliant' sibling Tracy Peacock, 62, has lost a seven-year battle with cancer.

Oxford University Press (OUP) is urging parents to 'be more adventurous' and pick up more modern books - which deal with topics such as diversity, homelessness and the environment.

HENRY DEEDES: However hard you thrash the Prime Minister with a rolled-up newspaper, he will simply shake his shaggy mane gormlessly before daring you to wallop him all over again.

A two-day Ofsted inspection is under way at the American School in London (pictured) after parents complained to the Department for Education (DfE) about the school's teaching of race relations.

Two children have died and several others left in a critical condition at a primary school in Tasmania after a jumping castle was thrown about 10m into the air.

Thousands of spectators were seen arriving to London's Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal play West Ham.

Special envoy to the WHO Dr David Nabarro said the spread of the super-mutant Omicron variant was 'unprecedented' and warned it presents 'very serious' threat to the UK, Europe and the world.

Australia's cricket captain Pat Cummins has been named as a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case, and ruled out of the second Ashes test.

Former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey and his campaign team held the gathering on December 14 last year, when parties were banned under the Covid-19 lockdown rules.

More than 15million UK households are protected by the cap - currently set at £1,277 a year for the average household - which limits how much firms can charge customers on standard variable deals.

Around 100 inmates at HMP Ashfield, in Pucklechurch, south Gloucestershire, are now self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19.

In a blow to the Army, judges in Britain's highest court said a decision by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in 2014 not to investigate was based on a 'seriously flawed report'.

This is the stark warning of researchers from the Royal Veterinary College, who analysed the health records of 24,631 canines - including 2,781 French bulldogs.

Dr Alina Chan, a specialist in cell engineering at Harvard and MIT, said said the idea that the virus may have been genetically engineered at the Wuhan Institute of Virology is 'reasonable'.

In a series of WhatsApp messages, Daniel Kawczynski tried to sell himself by claiming to be the most 'pro-Saudi' MP in the Commons.

20-year-old Frankie Smith (pictured with daughter Star Hobson) was described by her lawyer as herself a 'victim' of her young daughter's murder by Savannah Brockhill on September 22 last year.

STEPHEN GLOVER: So here we go again. Britain's Christmas is in peril again. Boris Johnson (pictured) seemingly edges closer to another spate of restrictions with every new appearance.

While David Fuller, 67, was handed a whole life sentence for the 1987 murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce, his punishment for sexually abusing 100 dead women and girls was 12 years.

JASON GROVES: The rebels are 'haemorrhaging' support, declared a bullish minister an hour before 100 Tory MPs delivered the biggest bloody nose of Boris Johnson's premiership.

The Home Office was last night accused of betrayal by narrowing the criteria for Afghans seeking refuge from the Taliban. Dan Jarvis (pictured), Labour MP and ex-paratrooper called it 'contemptible'.

JULIE BINDEL: Star's death might have been avoided had the social workers and police officers involved not capitulated in such a cowardly fashion to the forces of 'political correctness'.

JENNI MURRAY: I may be being foolishly overconfident, but I am not cancelling the events I still have in the diary. I am jabbed to the eyeballs. My age enabled me to get my booster two months ago.

The National Archives will publish the files online at noon on Wednesday. They have been kept secret since 1997, when the government concluded its investigation into JFK's death.

The Voi UK machine (pictured) was billowing smoke inside a resident's home in Bristol on Saturday, prompting firefighters to race to the address.

Last-minute reservations are being accepted at vaunted Michelin-star venues across the UK, as celebrity chefs grapple with the reality of empty tables over the normally-busy festive break.

Smith was yesterday found guilty of allowing Star to be killed by Brockhill, 28, who was convicted of murder.

Professor Chris Whitty told a Downing Street press briefing this afternoon that lower hospitalisations seen in South Africa this wave would be expected, because its population have greater immunity.

Ben Affleck is getting backlash for 'blaming' his ex-wife Jennifer Garner for his past alcoholism which he recently claimed was a side effect of feeling 'trapped' in their decade-long marriage.

Health service statistics show there were 5,697 beds taken up by people who had tested positive for the virus on December 7, the latest date available. But 1,483 were being treated for something else.

The lightweight material uses physics rather than electronics to open the vents, so has potential as a patch on various types of clothing to help keep the wearer comfortable, Duke University scientists said.

James Cunliffe, 33, of Leigh, Greater Manchester, attempted to sever Peter German's genitals after he found the victim and his ex partner at her home.

Ben Bradshaw said Mr Shapps made the comment last night when they were taking part in a vote in the House of Commons.

George at Asda has pulled off an unlikely fashion hit with a bright fuchsia satin dress for only £16 that's taking over Instagram, and even has its own account dedicated to the dress.

The UK's Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced it had struck a deal with the postal service to ramp up testing kit deliveries to 900,000 a day.

The £121,000-a-year children's services boss who presided over the tragic case of Star Hobson has refused to take responsibility for the catastrophic failings in the lead-up to her death.

Much-loved Cornish comedian Geoffrey Rowe, better known as Jethro, died aged 73 yesterday after battling Covid just a year after retiring it was confirmed in a statement from his management

Baroness Heather Hallett, a crossbench life peer, will lead the probe which is due to formally begin in the spring of next year.

People tweeted pictures of positive lateral flow tests and said they were 'feeling sorry for myself' and 'Merry Xmas to me', amid claims one million people are likely to be isolating with Covid on Christmas Day.

The Transport Secretary said nations including G7 members like the US, France and Italy, all popular with millions of UK tourists, were likely to make it an entry requirement in 2022.

Star Hobson's murderer Savannah Brockhill wanted to shave off all of the little girl's hair to make her into a 'Gypsy baby' in her own image, relatives revealed today.

Police officers who visited Star Hobson's killers twice before she was murdered are under investigation by the force watchdog over if any mistakes were made.

On 26 October 2020 we published an article about Jack P Shepherd. Mr Shepherd has advised that he does not recognise events as described and objected to publication. The article has been...

Zane, a Year 6 pupil at a primary school in Tasmania, Australia, has been identified as the first victim of a horror bouncy castle accident that killed five and left another three in critical condition.

Patricia Karvelas was presenting ABC's Afternoon Briefing on Thursday afternoon when her program was interrupted to cut to an urgent press conference in Tasmania.

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has been plunged into isolation after coming into contact with a positive Covid case at a lavish private dinner.

France has banned British tourists from visiting the country from Saturday in an effort to slow the relentless spread of the Covid Omicron strain.

Five children are dead and three of their classmates are fighting for life after a wind gust blew a jumping castle 10 metres into the air at Hillcrest Primary School, Devonport.

The 'remarkably well-preserved' artefacts were found last week after officers stopped a suspicious vehicle in Jerusalem's Musrara neighbourhood.

Anabel Mattingley, 21, claimed her mother Kim had signed over her property near Maidstone, Kent, to her aunt to protect it from a claim by her ex-husband but said she was entitled to a share.

Hospital visits have been banned in NSW after the state recorded its highest ever daily spike in Covid-19 infections.

Kortney Olson, 26, was visiting the Museum of Ice Cream, an immersive art experience themed around the tasty treat when she jumped into a pool full of foam sprinkles.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has used an op-ed in the Boston Globe to declare she supports expanding the Supreme Court by at least four seats.

Peter Scott, 52, a computer software and app designer, drove his grey Model S 100D into a parked car during evening rush after he drank vodka ahead of his counselling session.

Music producer Jose Angel Hernandez, better known as 'Flow La Movie,' died along with his wife, son and four other Americans after their private jet crashed and burst into flames.

A Jeep was attempting to exit a roundabout near Moana Beach in Adelaide on Wednesday when another car plowed into its side and forced it to roll. No one involved was seriously injured.

The Spanish singer, 53, is reportedly under strict observation after entering the intensive care unit at the Manchester Royal Hospital.

Chris Porsz, a paramedic and amateur photographer, took shots of people in Peterborough enjoying fish and chips, drunk nights out and trips to the fairground decades ago.

The 49-year-old actor said his Tuesday interview with Howard Stern was 'really cool, like long-form, in-depth,' and that he wasn't ready for the ensuing backlash.

The month of January 2021, 10 months after Italy's lockdown, marked the lowest birth rate ever - a 13.6 per cent decline over the same month a year earlier, translating to nearly 5,000 fewer births.

Frank Smith, 68, Star Hobson's great-grandfather, said Savannah Brockhill, 28, deserved the death penalty after murdering the tot at her Keighley, West Yorkshire home last year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that children aged 12 to 15 will be offered their second jab from Monday to tackle a 'tidal wave of Omicron' at a a Downing Street press conference.

The letter - which has cross-party support - marks a major shift in political opinion over the burning of biomass, which is currently classed by the Government as a green form of energy.

Tareena Shakil was nicknamed the ' Towie jihadi' when it emerged that the fan of reality TV shows such as The Only Way Is Essex had fled to the Middle East in 2014.

Annette Rockliff said the Devonport community was in shock after Thursday's tragedy. She has reached out to the school, first responders and those affected.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told Australians nervous about rising COVID-19 infections they can choose to stay home and leave others to 'enjoy the summer'.

Today was the fourth day in a row that the Government has paused online orders of lateral flow devices, but it came amid a drive to send out 900,000 test kits each day.

Kevin Syder, 55, from Hull, was caught taking the pictures while the 20-year-old woman was waiting in a queue at the Princes Quay shop with her younger sister to pay.

Pressure has been heaped on governor Andrew Bailey and top officials to act after headline CPI came in at 5.1 per cent yesterday - way above expectations and the highest for a decade.

Video footage captured by one passenger, Sophie Tasker, who uploaded the incident as multiple clips online, showed one man shouting at a group of people to 'wear a mask'.

New York Southern District Court nominee Dale Ho, 44, is facing backlash for previous statements he made where he called the Senate and Electoral College 'anti-democratic' in 2018.

Carmen Best, Seattle's former police chief, was reportedly turned down for the job leading the NYPD after she expressed reservations about whether she'd be in control.

The man in Palermo, Sicily, received at least 170,000 euros (£145,000) in benefits since 2008 after attesting that he was 'totally blind' as a result of a congenital problem, local media reported.

The system has creaked under huge demand from hundreds of thousands of people trying to book a third jab since Boris Johnson's TV appeal on Sunday, but appeared to be coping better today.

Five children are dead and three are critical after falling 10 metres from a jumping castle that flew into the air. 

Outgoing director Dr. Francis Collins, 71, picked up a guitar on Tuesday and began singing about hopeful times after the pandemic in what critics have called a 'cringe' performance.

In an interview with MSNBC's Joy Reid on Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren clapped back at Elon Musk for calling her 'Senator Karen' saying he is the 'world's richest freeloader.'

NSW District Court had earlier heard how the Sydney woman's bedroom door was suddenly flung open, the lights came on and she saw twisted rapist Craig Wheatman standing in the doorway.

A major music festival has been cancelled in Newcastle, amid fears it will be a Covid-19 'superspreading' event.

A 78-year-old man who has had a stroke and uses a walking stick returned to his car in Sydney to find a horrible note asking where his wheelchair was and warning that he was being watched.

Capt. Bill Urban, the spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said two small drones were picked up entering the base's airspace around At Tanf Garrison on Tuesday evening.

In a statement, NSW Health said anyone who attended the 'On Repeat: Taylor Swift Red Party' at the Metro Theatre on George St from 9pm last Friday is a close contact.

Seamus FitzGerald and his two mates were driving back from working on one of the plantation field in tropical North Queensland when they caught sight of a mysterious figure at the edge of the road.

While mortgage stress gets a lot of headlines, new research shows it is renters who save less, have more credit card problems, are less secure in their jobs and feel more unhappy with life.

It was supposed to be a day of fun and games for Grade 6 children in Tasmania celebrating their last day of primary school, but a freak gust of wind changed everything in the blink of an eye.

Australians have reacted with shock and disbelief at the decision to stand down Test captain Pat Cummins after he was identified as a close contact of a positive Covid case.

As the new strain spreads out of control, tens of thousands are now set to spend Christmas trapped in isolation, either by being infected or coming into contact with someone who is.

Jim Jordan, congressman for Ohio, on Wednesday confirmed that he had sent a text to Mark Meadows on January 5, outlining a way in which Mike Pence could legally refuse to certify the election.

Rachel Hardeman, director of the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity at the University of Minnesota, has been investigating the impact of policing on 'birthing people'.

Broadway is facing a major crisis before the holidays season after shows, including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Hamilton have announced cancellations due to COVID concerns.

Dustin Walters, 25, was rushed to hospital on December 5 after officers found him suffering from a gunshot wound when they responded to reports of a shooting at his Savannah home.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson made another appeal to end vaccine mandates on Thursday during an appearance on Alan Jones' Facebook show Direct to the People.

A blinding dust storm moving at hurricane-force winds of 90mph tore through Kansas and Colorado on Wednesday, causing fires in Oklahoma and tornadoes in Iowa and Nebraska,

One video showed a huge queue in the Sydney CBD with hundreds of punters patiently waiting for their swab. Earlier Leigh Sales shared her theory for why Covid case numbers may be rising.

Vaccine rollout boss Lieutenant General John Frewen said there is 'a bit of flexibility' in the Government's five-month gap between second and third doses.

TikToker Macey Craig was one of about 200 partygoers who tested positive to the virus after visiting The Argyle House in Newcastle. Most of them are believed to have the Omicron strain.

New Zealand has recorded its first case of the Omicron variant after an infected person arrived into the country - days after Jacinda Ardern locked out Australians.

Godol Latio, 20, partied at the Argyle House in Newcastle, two hours north of Sydney, on December 8, along with about 680 others.

'There's nothing more important, domestically, than voting rights,' President Joe Biden said Wednesday, as he spoke about a likely switch to the topic in the Senate where a key proposal is stalled.

A London court heard Tanya Jeal, 31, allegedly turned up outside Craig David's home and repeatedly buzzed his intercom system while holding up a five-year-old photo of them.

Keechant Sewell, currently Nassau County chief of detectives, will take over as NYPD commissioner on January 1. On Wednesday she spoke to the press beneath a mural of black figures from history.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has advised Priti Patel to add care workers to Britain's shortage occupation list, due to the 'severe and increasing difficulties faced by the care sector'.

An Australian truckie has taken to TikTok to express his frustration with the exploding price of AdBlue, a chemical needed to run diesel trucks that is suddenly in short supply.

Copeland, 85, enjoys the spoils of his six-bed, six-bath house - with a sweeping spiral staircase, crystal chandeliers and a tennis court - on the taxpayers' dime.

The renowned hypnotist Paul McKenna (pictured) has created a groundbreaking video as research reveals almost a quarter (23 per cent) of Britons can't stand Brussels Sprouts.

A survey by consumer champion Which? found that 43 per cent of online shoppers experienced at least one problem with their deliveries last Christmas.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath was forced to stop her Covid-19 press conference when a huge huntsman spider was spotted crawling on her by reporters.

A major police operation is under in Sydney's south-west with dozens of officers surrounding an apartment building.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a six-week sweepstakes 'Ski for Free' Covid-19 vaccine sweepstakes for children ages five to 11 that also includes the booster shot.

Charles Harrison Streep, 32, pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct for the altercation that left David Peralta, 19, with life-threatening brain injuries after the pair clashed last year.

President Biden made a slight dig at vaccine skeptic Aarons Rodgers while touring tornado damage in Kentucky, telling local Packers fans that the quarterback should 'go get vaccinated.'

The Senate passed the NDAA Wednesday, which contains a provision that bars the Pentagon from giving servicemembers who won't be vaccinated dishonorable discharges.

Muhammad Aziz, 83, and another man were exonerated in November after the Manhattan district attorney found that they didn't get a fair trial because authorities withheld key evidence.

Amplify Energy Corp. and its companies that operate several oil rigs and a pipeline off Long Beach were charged by a federal grand jury with a single misdemeanor count of illegally discharging oil.

Josh Frydenberg has ordered Australia's state premiers not to shut their borders in a panic about rising Covid cases in the wake of the new Omicron variant of the disease.

Top doctor Kerryn Phelps branded the decision to axe almost all Covid restrictions as case numbers soar as 'unfathomable' and warned: 'This is not freedom. This is denial.'

The number of Covid-19 cases in NSW is expected to increase again after the highest count in more than three months, with predictions they could hit 25,000 infections a day in January.

A man wearing slippers and Adidas sweatpants was remanded in custody on December 15 after police discovered drugs, cash and prohibited weapons at a home in Melbourne's south-east.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg argues a return to higher immigration will boost wages after eight years of weak pay growth. Workers are missing out despite a 4.6 per cent jobless rate.

Australian supermarket Woolworths has done away with QR codes completely following the easing of a suite of Covid restrictions across NSW.

A Daily Mail Australia poll has found an overwhelming majority of Australians don't want to go back into lockdown despite a spike in Covid-19 cases.

A strange genre of porn has skyrocketed to the top of Australians' search bars as Pornhub reveals everyone's lockdown secrets.

The warning said residents are being urged to consider deferring any social events in Newcastle after Christmas to 'keep family gatherings safe.'

Commentator Alan Jones has hit out at state leaders over Covid lockdowns but issued a glowing endorsement of NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, who he said was 'leading the way'.

Mayor London Breed's plan included legislation that will provide police with real-time access to surveillance video and measures making it harder to sell stolen goods and more aggressive policies.

An opportunistic sexual predator has been jailed for a decade in a Victorian court following the violent rape of a highly intoxicated woman in Melbourne in the early hours of June 17 in 2018.

Chicago Sophomore Elias Valdez (left) was found dead on August 5, 2020, with multiple stab wounds to his chest after police said he took marijuana from a 17-year-old senior without paying.

Searchers who toiled at the William Tyrrell dig site in bushland at Kendall searching for the toddler have left a hoe signed 'we will never give up' as a moving tribute to the missing boy.

The Project host Hamish McDonald has been left rattled after a leading epidemiologist laid out a sobering new theory about the Omicron variant, set to explode across Australia.

Parents of the UPenn women's swim team are demanding the NCAA change rules that have permitted transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete.

On December 3, 1992, then 22-year-old British programmer Neil Papworth sent the first ever Short Message Service (SMS) from a computer at Vodafone's Newbury, Berkshire base.

Four people have been rushed to hospital after a car smashed through the Northcote Plaza in Melbourne just before 11am on Thursday, leaving crowds of Christmas shoppers aghast.

Celebrity chefs Tom Kerridge and Raymond Blanc (pictured) are among those calling for more action to combat the effects of Omicron on the hospitality industry.

Manhattan DA's Office Trial Bureau 40 team has been forced to quarantine after attending an offsite holiday party, which has left several with 'mild to moderate symptoms.'

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Bolstered by a world-beating vaccine and booster rollout, the Prime Minister believes Britain does not need tougher restrictions.

Mr Johnson will suffer another major blow to his authority if the Tories lose the ultra-safe seat of North Shropshire in a by-election triggered by Owen Paterson's resignation over the lobbying row.

A survey has found Britons are set to spend an average of seven hours and 24 minutes using the internet on Christmas Day for the most 'connected' festive break ever.

First it was Colin the Caterpillar. Now glitter-flecked gin liqueur (pictured) has become the latest cause of a legal row between Marks & Spencer and discount supermarket Aldi.

Olive trees will be banned from Royal Horticultural Society shows to stop them bringing a plant-killing disease into the UK. The bacterial disease Xylella fastidiosa has ravaged groves in Italy.

The historic brass skull and crossbones, worth at least £3,000, were removed from the office of the Commanding Officer of the Royal Lancers in Catterick Garrison, north Yorkshire, on Monday.

Plants can sometimes enrich ecosystems but usually upset a region's particular mix of plants, leading to a 'net loss of global floristic uniqueness', said researchers in Germany.

Queensland has announced a spike in Covid cases to 22 after the state's borders reopened last Monday.

An Australian man who ate nothing but KFC for a month straight says he's gained more weight drinking alcohol every day - but says his sex drive is 'through the roof'.

Qantas has forecast a loss of more than $1.1 billion from a lockdown-plagued half but says it has made inroads in reducing debt.

The NBA has reportedly recorded its first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant among its players, although the infected party has not been identified publicly by the league.

Living rooms across the land are lit up with Christmas trees in a tradition that stretches back 500 years. But have you ever seen anything like these fabulous festive fabrications?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday introduced the Stop WOKE Act, a bill to ban critical race theory teaching in schools and workplaces across the state.

The vehicle was being driven along Silbys Road in Darnum, a small town in West Gippsland, Victoria when the man fell off at around 10.15 on Wednesday night.