Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 8 Feb 2021
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
- 1. South Africa halts Oxford jab
- 2. Queen ‘lobbied to hide wealth’
- 3. More heavy snow forecast
- 4. Probe into extremist groups
- 5. Flood kills 14 in India
- 6. ‘Credible case’ of Uighur genocide
- 7. Chains call for level playing field
- 8. Elderly rebel on TV licences
- 9. Meghan ‘eyes up politics’
- 10. Brady stars in Super Bowl
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
1. South Africa halts Oxford jab
South Africa has suspended its rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after research suggested it offers limited protection against mild and moderate cases of disease caused by the coronavirus variant discovered there. The UK’s vaccines minister insists that the British public can have confidence in Covid vaccines. Nadhim Zahawi said an annual booster jab is likely to be required, with the first to come in the autumn.
2. Queen ‘lobbied to hide wealth’
The Queen’s personal lawyers successfully lobbied ministers to change a draft law in order to conceal her “embarrassing” private wealth from the public, according to The Guardian. Government memos from the National Archives show the monarch used a private solicitor to secure exemption from a transparency law. However, Buckingham Palace says the claims are “simply incorrect”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. More heavy snow forecast
Further heavy snowfall is on the way to parts of England as Storm Darcy brings in winter weather. There could be as much as 15cm in parts of the East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, particularly over the Lincolnshire Wolds. The Met Office says it has been “bitterly cold” because of strong easterly winds from Ukraine and the Black Sea.
4. Probe into extremist groups
Ministers have ordered an investigation into the extreme fringes on both ends of the political spectrum, The Daily Telegraph reports. The review will be led by Lord Walney - a former Labour MP who was appointed as the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption. He said that there was “not an equivalence of threat between the far-left and the far-right” in the UK, with the latter a graver threat.
5. Flood kills 14 in India
At least 14 people have died and 170 more are missing after part of a Himalayan glacier broke off, triggering a huge flood in northern India. The floodwaters burst open a dam and a deluge of water poured through a valley in the state of Uttarakhand. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there.”
6. ‘Credible case’ of Uighur genocide
A formal legal opinion has stated that there is a “very credible case” that the Chinese government is carrying out genocide against the Uighur people. It concludes that there has been deliberate infliction of harm on Uighurs in detention, measures to prevent women giving birth and the forcible transfer of Uighur children out of their community. A legal opinion “does not have a legal standing, like a court judgement, but can be used as a basis for legal action”, the BBC reports.
Will other nations join US in accusing China of genocide?
7. Chains call for level playing field
Britain’s biggest retail chains, including Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Waterstones, have teamed up to call for an overhaul of business rates to help them to compete with online giants such as Amazon. The retailers, who pay £8bn a year in business rates, are calling on ministers to “rebalance the tax base to ensure online and bricks-and-mortar retailers pay a similar proportion of tax”.
‘Shameless’ tech giants ‘exploit coronavirus to dodge tax’
8. Elderly rebel on TV licences
Up to 750,000 older people are refusing to pay for a TV licence. The Times says this has created a £117m deficit for the BBC, which abolished free licences for over-75s last summer after the government said the corporation would have to pay for them. Refusing to pay for a licence can lead to a £1,000 fine and a prison sentence, but the director of the campaign group Silver Voices, said: “There are a hard core who are resisting.”
The politics behind free BBC licences
9. Meghan ‘eyes up politics’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have held a private meeting with one of America’s most powerful state governors, prompting renewed speculation that Meghan is considering launching her own political career. Officials for Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, confirmed that he had a virtual meeting with Harry and Meghan in October, weeks before Joe Biden was elected president.
10. Brady stars in Super Bowl
Tom Brady guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a convincing 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs to extend his record for Super Bowl wins to seven. The BBC says the “evergreen” 43-year-old quarterback helped Tampa Bay become the first team to play a Super Bowl in their own stadium. CNN described Brady’s story as like a “movie script”.
NFL’s underdog story for the goat Tom Brady
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Quiz of The Week: 16 - 22 September
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Humanitarian purposes
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - September 29, 2023
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - September 29, 2023
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 22, 2023
Daily Briefing Zelenskyy visits Washington as Biden unveils more Ukraine aid, Rupert Murdoch steps down at Fox and News Corp., and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 22 September 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 21, 2023
Daily Briefing Biden extends temporary protections to 470,000 Venezuelans, Republicans grill Garland on Biden and Trump investigations, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Woman reunited with egg she signed in 1951
It Wasn't All Bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 20, 2023
Daily Briefing Zelenskyy, Biden urge UN members to oppose Russian aggression, hardline Republicans block spending bill as shutdown looms, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 19, 2023
Daily Briefing Iran, US swap prisoners in a complex deal, Canada accuses India of role in Sikh leader's assassination, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 18, 2023
Daily Briefing Protesters call for ending fossil fuel ahead of UN meetings, Trump doesn't 'even think' about going to jail, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 15, 2023
Daily Briefing A grand jury indicts Hunter Biden on gun charges, House defense spending bill stalls as shutdown looms, and more
By Harold Maass Published