Calls to reduce Covid isolation periods were designed to reduce pressure on business and vital services such as schools, transport companies and the NHS.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi last night said he and Boris Johnson saw schools as their 'No 1 priority', adding that they wanted to 'do everything in our power to minimise disruption'.

Jodie Whittaker spending Eve Of The Daleks being repeatedly EX-TER-MIN-ATED was also decidedly gratifying for those of us who said from the start that she was miscast.

The Girls' Day School Trust updated its gender identity policy guidance document last month and shared it with its members, which includes the 137-year-old Sutton High School (pictured).

The celebrations for Kate's 40th birthday will be muted - like her Christmas - due to the Covid risk. The Duchess is expected to have a much smaller affair with just family and close friends.

From Hawaii to Bali and the ski-slopes of Perisher, 26-year-old Jimmy Antram has seen plenty of the world - but it has all been from the vantage point of his mother's back.

Premier League stars James Maddison , Harvey Barnes and Hamza Choudhury were among a 3,000-strong crowd at the World Championship Darts on Saturday night.

Scott Borgerson, 46, secretly married Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, in 2016 after splitting with his first wife and mother of his two children.

Sir Tony's knighthood led to furious backlash on social media and a petition being launched on Change.org by Angus Scott shortly after he was made a Sir. Now, 100,000 have signed the petition.

The Deltapoll survey of the 57 constituencies the Conservatives gained in the 2019 General Election puts Labour on 49 per cent and the Conservatives on just 33 per cent.

Matt Hancock and his lover Gina Coladangelo, pictured left, have been dragged into the 'cheese and wine' gathering scandal which took place in Downing Street on May 15, 2020.

The news comes as Ghislaine Maxwell spends her 549th day behind bars today at New York's notorious Metropolitan Detention Centre. Her lawyers fear it will be five months before sentencing.

Many will wonder whether the disgraced socialite, who turned 60 on Christmas Day, is the victim of two monsters: her father and Jeffrey Epstein.

PETER HITCHENS: Like Communism, it has a noble goal, the saving of the planet. This goal is in fact so noble that it causes its supporters to sweep aside all doubt and restraint.

Modelling shown to ministers suggests that hospital admissions are doubling every 16 days and could peak in the middle of January.

Nearly two dozen people spent New Year's Eve trapped aboard two stuck trams in the high mountains of New Mexico before a rescue helicopter plucking them to safety Saturday.

Stephen Port, the sexual predator, known as the Grindr Killer will be portrayed by Stephen Merchant, co-creator of The Office and better known for comic roles.

A letter to NHS England chief executive signed by Tory MP Shaun Bailey (pictured), criticised the 'disproportionate and unscientific reintroduction of inhumane restrictions' by some trusts.

Maxwell, 60, was found guilty of five out of six sex trafficking charges in New York earlier this week. She now faces up to 65 years in federal prison following her conviction in a New York federal court.

Mel B has dedicated her MBE for her work with domestic violence charity Women's Aid to other people who suffered in abusive relationships.

Post Office assistant Izabela Maziakowska, 41, has spoken of her loss after her daughter, Olivia Kolek, died after being hit by a Mercedes near Rowley Regis rail station in the West Midlands.

ROBERT HALFON: Just before Christmas we had 230,000 children out of school. We cannot repeat that. Are we going to get our children educated again or are we not?

A study by US and Japanese scientists on hamsters and mice found those with Omicron had less lung damage, lost less weight and were less likely to die than those with other strains.

The art of floristry flourished last year amid the popularity of period dramas such as Downton Abbey and Bridgerton.

Other ideas allegedly being considered by the Royal household include sending the Duke into some form of 'internal exile' and asking him to relinquish any links he still has to charities.

GEMMA BIRD: I have long known that money is not a secret recipe that only rich people know. It's a mindset and an attitude that anyone can have.

British soul singer, 56, shocked the judges after she removed her costume and told how she had always wanted to 'give the show a go' as it looks 'so much fun'.

MOS COMMENT: The PM needs to show that he really means it when he talks of 'levelling up'. He needs to squash any sleaze. He needs to ensure that Brexit is finished and done well.

Stringent import checks came into force as a result of Britain's departure from the European Union a year ago. More than £230 billion of products are imported from the EU each year.

ALEXANDRA SHULMAN: When my sister was in her first year at the university, she ended up at one of Robert Maxwell's frequent multi-generational parties at the nearby Headington Hill Hall.

GEMMA BIRD: I guarantee there is a whole pile of stuff sitting at the back of your wardrobe or in your loft that someone, somewhere, will buy from you.

Former Pensions Minister Ros Altmann (pictured) demanded that the Government take urgent action to support hard-up pensioners amid warnings that household bills could double this year.

ANNA MIKHAILOVA: Labour's Dan Jarvis found time between representing the people of Barnsley Central and serving as Mayor of South Yorkshire to fill in 29 polls and earn £3,000 extra.

Sophisticated software programs - referred to as Grinchbots because they ruin families' Christmas plans - are being used to target in-demand products: Pictured: One of the in-demand products.

While black communities make up about 3.5 per cent of England's population, data shows they make up 12.5 per cent of those who have ended up in hospital with the variant so far.

HAMISH MCRAE: The hard facts about Britain's economy tell a very different story. To start with, we have a stronger job market than at any time in most people's lives.

Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone gave up their own Oscar chances for their roles in The Favourite by allowing Olivia Colman to take the nomination, as they had already picked up Academy Awards before.

Since Jeremy Clarkson opened Diddly Squat Farm Shop to sell his produce, locals have been furious at the huge traffic jams bringing the country lanes around Chadlington to a standstill.

Police were called to an incident in Rotherham at 1.20am where they discovered the body of a man. They also sealed off a second crime scene nearby following reports of public disorder.

Hilaria Baldwin is pleading for kindness in the new year and vowing to practice what she preaches in a new Instagram post on Saturday.

Spencer Matthews is winding down his luxury diamond firm Eden Rocks, which he started in 2019 when working with jeweller Neil Duttson on the engagement ring for his now wife, Vogue Williams.

Baroness Bra Michelle Mone, 50, has been accused of defamation, libel and slander by Richard Lynton-Jones, 42, who she allegedly called a 'waste of a man's white skin.'

The Culture Secretary is expected to examine the regulator's role as part of an upcoming review into the Corporation's complaints process.

A third of Red Lion pubs said it was 'likely' or 'very likely' they would have to shut down permanently if a new lockdown is imposed in the New Year.

David Exley said there was an urgent need to do more to tackle dangerous misinformation after his daughter Sadie, 24, refused the jab after wrongly being told it 'would kill' her unborn child.

The Duke of York infamously claimed in his car-crash Newsnight interview in 2019 that a medical condition after being shot at during the Falklands War left him unable to perspire.

Nancy Groce, 69, based in the US, and her identical twin sister Nora, based in London, 'just knew' they would face breast cancer, after it killed their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Just before 3pm on Tuesday, Prince Andrew will log in to his computer at Royal Lodge, his 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park, and click on a link that has been emailed to him by his lawyers.

SARAH VINE: It's what her trial tells us about the world in which we once lived and the one in which we live today. It wasn't just Ghislaine on trial in that New York courtroom, but an entire culture.

A year which started with Sir Keir Starmer caricatured as Captain Hindsight saw him slowly but surely metamorphosing into Labour's Corporal Jones.

Darts star Michael van Gerwen, who was ruled out of the tournament after contracting the virus, described the event at Alexandra Palace as a 'Covid bomb' but it continues to go ahead.

DR ELLIE CANNON: It is common for people to think their body isn't able to withstand brisk exercise as they get older. But it's not strictly true.

SIR JOHN REDWOOD MP: In April a typical gas and electricity combined bill could surge by £700 extra. Most Councils will raise their Council tax, and general price inflation will still be lively.

Clinton Langston (pictured with the Queen) said he became 'sick with fear' after writing letters to his wife and children that were to be opened in the event of his death during a deployment in 2004.

The man in the picture has never been identified, but the glamorous woman before him - engaged in what has always delicately been described as 'a sex act' - saw her reputation left in tatters.

The new software will allow the Chinese state to 'better understand the underground network of anti-China personnel'. It will also help inform leaders of trends that undermine state interests.

Conservation activists have voiced concerns about The Force Awakens star's plans for a refurbishment of a derelict Grade II listed house in North London.

LEE ANDERSON: I have been on a political journey shared with the five million Labour voters who switched to the Conservatives at the 2019 General Election.

Passengers are complaining of being left stranded at the roadside, with some drivers admitting they accept but then reject more than half the jobs they are offered through Uber.

BARNEY CALMAN: Some types of mask are vastly superior - namely, FFP2 masks, the ones that look like a beak. But, unfortunately, they're not the kind most people are wearing.

Doctors in England and Wales have been given the thumbs-up to increase the use of fremanezumab - a monthly jab into the arm, tummy or leg, branded by one doctor as 'life-changing'.

CBD advocates claim it can do everything from treating insomnia, anxiety and joint pain to helping with serious conditions such as high blood pressure and even the eye disease glaucoma.

As infections continue to soar in the new Omicron wave, cases of people who managed to stay free of the infection become ever more remarkable.

Britain has officially recorded its warmest New Year's Day in history as the Met Office confirmed temperatures nudged over 61F (16.2C) in St James's Park, London to kickstart 2022.

More than half of the scientists at the Princess Elizabeth Polar Station on Antarctica have tested positive for Covid-19 since the middle of December when new crew members joined the team.

Chinese researchers claim to have developed technology to allow a hypersonic missile to find a target based on its heat signature. Pictured: Hypersonic missiles on parade in China in 2019.

Shepherd, 33, is now believed to be at HMP Frankland, County Down. He was jailed for six years after being convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence after the death of Charlotte Brown.

With around five minutes left of the clash at Vicarage Road, play was paused as medics rushed across the pitch to give treatment to the stricken supporter, who was said to have collapsed.

UK Health Security Agency data shows there were 162,572 new infections over the last 24 hours, an increase of 33 per cent on the number recorded on Christmas Day when there were 121,880.

Jeanine Ann Roose, who starred as a child actor in the holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life, has died at the age of 84.

The woman tested positive for both viruses in Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva city, Israel, on Thursday. She is suffering mild symptoms and Israeli health officials are studying her case.

The Team GB cyclists were among 78 Olympians and Paralympians included on the New Year's honours list following their latest success in Tokyo.

At Alpha Men Assemble's most recent meet, close to 100 activists were pictured boxing and grappling with one another on a beach at Littlehampton, West Sussex.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is among the cabinet members who are said to back plans to ease visa controls for Indians in a bid to sweeten Delhi before long-planned trade talks begin later this month.

Zaian Aimable-Lina was attacked just after 7pm in Ashburton Park, Croydon, but died around half an hour later after paramedics weren't able to save him.

Everton bosses have spoken to a number of their stars over posts shared online by their loved ones to ensure they 'toe the line' with regards to Covid vaccines.

Although a number of accusers did not give evidence at the trial, the women will instead be given the chance to make a statement to Judge Alison Nathan, according to the Telegraph.

PAUL McKENNA: Starting today, and continuing next week, I will introduce you to new ways of thinking that will help inoculate you against negativity and press reset on your emotions.

Nylah Burton, who has written several articles arguing in favour of the Sussexes and critiquing the Royal Family, reacted as many did to the television legend's death but put a bizarre spin on it.

STEPHEN GLOVER: Can Prince Andrew save himself? Or are his reputation and good name about to be dragged further into the gutter, damaging him and the monarchy as well?

After Alfie Kitson's five-year-old dog Millie hit the headlines for her party trick, his siblings Dave and Anne managed to track him and his wife Judy, 75, down to the village of Ulingswick, Hereford.

Police were called at 7.34pm on yesterday to reports of an injured male at the Philpotts Farm Open Space close to Heather Lane in Yiewsley.

Teaching watchdogs said Warblington School PE teacher Sean Aldridge (pictured), now 39, had shown no remorse for targeting four girls aged 13 to 16.

From Euro royals to hotel heiresses, scores of well-heeled brides and their dashing grooms exchanged vows in  some of the world's most desirable locations. Here, FEMAIL shares the best.

Zhang Bo, 27, threw his two children, aged 2 and 1, from his apartment building in Chongqing, China, because his new girlfriend Ye Chengchen did not want another woman's kids.

London-based Pierre Pozzuto, who has trained A-listers Gordon Ramsay, Keira Knightley and Ben Miller, spoke exclusively to FEMAIL about the easy ways you can work out without leaving the house.

The SNP leader has shut nightclubs and banned large groups from going out drinking - but with looser restrictions in England revellers are choosing to go there instead.

King's College London experts - who monitor the outbreak using a symptom-tracking app - estimate infections jumped 33 per cent in a week to around 192,000 per day.

Questions have already been raised over how the units will be manned, after the last set of Nightingales treated just 381 Covid patients.This was less than 0.2 per cent of admissions last winter.

Tom Williams, chief operating officer for Parkrun Global, is asking the Welsh government to allow the organisation's New Year's Day event. Pictured: Cardiff Parkrun, Christmas Day.

One flood warning in Lostock, Greater Manchester, and 43 flood alerts have been issued across England today, with the Met Office predicting showers in 'many areas' for tonight.

The NHS is still yet to prominently display the update to guidance a week after the change was made. Ministers have slashed self-isolation to seven days for those that test negative for the virus.

Liverpool Women's Hospital bomber Emad Al Swealmeen died from the explosion and fire caused by the improvised device he manufactured with "murderous intent", a coroner has ruled.

The animal charity has revealed its craziest animal rescues from 2021 as the year comes to a close including the rescue of a 4ft python from the toilet of soap star Harry Visinoni's Cheshire home.

Africa Health Research Institute scientists found Omicron fighting antibody levels spiked 14-fold, but those against Delta also rose 4-fold. The tests were carried out in Durban, South Africa.

Boris Johnson - already in a sleaze row over the lavish redecoration of his Downing Street flat - faces another headache, this time over noisy renovations in the loft.

The rapid home testing kits were available to order around 1pm today. But by 1.15pm the Government's website shared a message saying 'Sorry, there are no home delivery slots left for these tests right now'.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. Lawyers for Moskvin say that after nine years of treatment, he is now well enough to become an outpatient, and that he wanted to move to Moscow and get married.

Savvy employees have figured out a way to turn 26 days of annual leave into 62 days of 'holiday' in 2022, by carefully placing annual leave around weekends and bank holidays,

John and Beverley Taylor, both 66, were discovered at the property in Regent Crescent, Skipton, on December 21. David Michael Taylor, 35, has been charged with their murder.

The capital, which is usually among the top locations for property price rises, ranked bottom of regional growth figures for 2021, new analysis by Halifax shows.

Acusensus, the Australian firm who designed the cameras, admits that they can be used to catch motorists doing anything from eating, drinking, smoking, or using navigation devices.

Sue Gray is carrying out out inquiries into three alleged gatherings at No10 and the Department for Education in November and December last year, when indoor mixing was banned.

TV presenter Michaela Strachan frequently flies from South Africa to the UK for work but said she makes every effort to mitigate the impact by being a vegetarian and using solar panels

There were 50 fire engines out of 142 (35 per cent) that were not able to run during the day shift on December 25, according to the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

Cameras are not allowed in federal court, so it was down to New York's courtroom artists to depict Maxwell's trial, and her transformation from pre-trial haggard figure into confident woman.

Katrina Jones, who joined the firm as a risk and compliance analyst in 2015, alleges that the 'oppressive and abusive' behaviour of Christopher Holliday, 44, caused her psychiatric harm.

Marcello Distefano, boss of the San Carlo Italian chain, admits he will have to close several of their 23 UK restaurants due to staff shortages with staffing for New Year's Eve still touch and go.

The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell cast a spotlight on the lives of her siblings who put their own reputations on the line by showing public support for her.

Ryan Connolly, 37, had his phoned seized during a separate police anti-corruption investigation into him in February last year. The content included 'an act which threatened a person's life'.

The issue taking down exchange servers worldwide began as the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve.

Emergency services were called to an address in the Limeside area of Oldham at around 6.20pm on New Year's Eve but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

James Drinkwater said the Big Bad Wolf, who blows down two of the three houses which are made from straw and sticks, sends the message that natural materials aren't fit for construction.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama posted a quirky pic her husband Barack to commemorate New Year's Eve only hours after sharing a tribute to Betty White who passed away at the age of 99 on Friday

Retired General Steven M. Anderson warned of Donald Trump supporters in the military while calling them a threat from within, and advised them to stop listening to 'the pillow guy,' Trump ally Mike Lindell.

Blake Ferguson's decorated career has always been tainted by off field controversies . Now the 31-year-old has been arrested in Tokyo over cocaine possession.

'Birthday and New Years celebrations with my big guy. (No 10%),' Trump Jr. wrote in reference to a rumored 10 percent cut President Joe Biden would get out of a deal Hunter allegedly made with China.

A woman was found stabbed to death near a diner in Queens on New Year's Day. It was the first known murder of 2022 in New York City and happened in Astoria on Mayor Eric Adams first day

Police are searching for two people who burned a part of Key West's famous Southernmost Point buoy early on New Year's Day after setting a fire near the landmark tourism icon.

Cities in the US continue to smash COVID records around the country such as NYC which saw 85,476 daily cases reported in the state as fears continue to loom over a nationwide economic shutdown

A Murray Hill townhouse worth $7million appears to be being used to host 'loud parties, gambling and prostitution' according to a New York State lawsuit with the current occupant now refusing to leave.

The total number of cancelled flights since Christmas Eve now totals more than 14,000 - leaving thousands of Americans stranded over the holiday season.

The MV Baragoola ferried thousands of passengers between Manly and Circular Quay on Sydney Harbour for more than six decades and was to celebrate its 100th birthday next month.

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, in a written order Friday, told the prince's lawyers they must turn over documents on the schedule that has been set in the lawsuit brought in August by Virginia Giuffre.

Months after her shock resignation as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has officially quit Parliament for good, prompting speculation on her next career move.

The federal government has been offering voluntary one-hour training courses for politicians after former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped in Parliament House.

NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant urged close contacts of Covid-19 cases to get tested immediately. NSW had 18,278 new cases on Sunday, with 1066 in hospital and 83 in ICU.

LSD, cocaine, MDMA and marijuana have been seized among other substances and more than 80 arrests made at the Field Day music festival in Sydney on Saturday.

At least 991 homes are thought to have been destroyed as the blaze raced through the towns of Superior and Louisville on Thursday, just outside the state's biggest city Denver.

McWilliams wrote an open letter slamming Dems over going around her to suit their own agenda. Her resignation appears to stem from clashes between her and Dems over bank merger rules.

Bravo host Andy Cohen claims he was 'overserved' on New Year's Eve after he blasted former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio on CNN's holiday special on Friday night

A man nearly died during this year's annual 'polar plunge' after being pulled from the icy waters off of Coney Island and requiring CPR from EMTs who responded to the scary scene on New Year's Day.

Anthony Hess, 40, claimed the 'botched' 2013 operation by Dr Danny Lanzer left him looking like a 'freakshow' for eight years and so ashamed of his body he hid or edited his abs in shirtless photos.

An elderly couple have tragically been found dead inside their vehicle completely submerged in water near the Soldiers Point boat ramp in Port Stephens on Sunday.

Sources close to the former president had told DailyMail.com that he was expected to attend this year's black-tie gathering and attendees posted shots of the former first couple before midnight.

A NYPD officer woke up on Saturday morning to discover he took a bullet to the head after he was shot through his vehicle window while he was sleeping in between his shifts

Chicago closes out 2021 out as the most violent year in a quarter of a century with 795 homicides last year alone - 25 more than last year, 299 more than 2019, and the most since 1996.

Labor leader savaged the prime minister for his response to the Covid-19 pandemic as he announced his plan for a high speed rail line connecting Newcastle to Sydney.

The New York congresswoman was accused by many of 'frolicking in free Florida' while her home state enforced mask mandates, after her Miami lunch date.

Footage posted to social media on Saturday morning showed New York City's new Mayor Eric Adams calling 911 about three men brawling on the street.

The young boy drowned in a river in Jarrahmond in Victoria's East Gippsland after he disappeared while swimming with four others until his body was found on Sunday morning.

Sailing into Lake Macquarie as the sun is setting would go unnoticed by just about everyone apart from a few fishermen hoping to catch a yellowtail - but that all changed in 2017.

An investigation has been ordered into what caused the stampede at 2.40am this morning at the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine in Kashmir. Thousands of Hindu devotees had gathered.

Thousands of workers are facing the sack for refusing to get vaccinated against Covid - but Newcastle woman Lainie Chait, who has epilepsy, says she was fired because she did get the jab.

After spending the last two years almost Covid-free, Tasmania has recorded 404 new cases on Sunday but Premier Peter Gutwein had declared there will be no lockdown.

New York City health officials have been prioritizing COVID tests for minority communities as they are 'underserved and 'have borne the brunt of this pandemic due to structural racism.'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparked Republican anger on Thursday after she was seen at a restaurant in Miami, maskless at her table outdoors. She responded angrily to criticism.

There are now 122 people in hospital but only five people in the state are in ICU. It comes after mask mandates were extended to slow the spread of the disease in Queensland.

The owner of the popular Perth pub The George has claimed he had no idea an illegal event was being held at the venue after police stormed the New Year's Eve party and found hundreds of people inside.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, (left) caused a two-dozen car pile-up in April 2019 that killed four people. He was sentenced to 110 years on December 13, which has now been reduced to 10.