- EntertainmentThe Independent
Rian Johnson divides Star Wars fans by revealing scrapped Anakin Skywalker scene in The Last Jedi
Revelation has split fandom down the middle
- NewsThe Telegraph
Nicola Sturgeon under pressure to top up £500 NHS 'thank you' bonus after PM tax demand backfires
Nicola Sturgeon is under pressure to top up a £500 "thank you" bonus for NHS and social care workers after her challenge to Boris Johnson not to tax the money backfired spectacularly. One of Scotland's most eminent economic think tanks said the best way for workers to receive the entire sum would be for the Scottish Government to pay a higher "gross" amount, which would reduce to £500 on payment of income tax. The Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI), based at Strathclyde University, said there would be no additional cost to the Scottish Government as it controls income tax on earnings north of the Border, so the additional money would be paid back to them. In her SNP conference speech on Monday, Ms Sturgeon challenged Mr Johnson to create a special tax exemption for the payment, saying the Covid "heroes" deserve to pocket "every penny". After the Treasury pointed out SNP ministers had the power to "gross up the payment", Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader, accused the Prime Minister of trying to "punish" NHS and care workers. But the FAI said the SNP's exemption demand "opens the possibility of endless future lobbying for tax-exempt bonuses" and "would gift higher rate taxpayers a significantly larger tax break than basic rate taxpayers." In a damning intervention, they said there was a "healthy dose of politics" in Ms Sturgeon's challenge to the Prime Minister and what the Scottish Government "really wanted" was an example of the devolved tax powers "apparently not working."
- PoliticsThe Independent
Trump to boycott Biden’s inauguration and won’t even invite him for White House visit - report
Outgoing president will not even invite successor to White House
- HealthThe Independent
I was given the AstraZeneca vaccine for Covid-19. I had side effects. I’m overjoyed — and confused
I developed chills and a mild fever, and I was elated. This was it! But then reports about the data led me on an emotional rollercoaster. As I prepare to get my second dose, I’m reflecting on how far we’ve come
- NewsThe Independent
Coronavirus: Regulator rejects Matt Hancock’s claim that UK got vaccine first because of Brexit
German ambassador says vaccine approval is ‘not a national story’
- CelebrityPeople
Legendary Celebrities Who Have Famous Grandkids
Hollywood is a family affair for these talented offspring of iconic eldersÂ
- EntertainmentSky News
Huge telescope scaled by James Bond - and used to search for alien life - collapses
One of the world's largest radio telescopes, used to monitor the stars for more than half a century, has collapsed. The 57-year-old telescope at Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory also featured in the James Bond film GoldenEye, when Pierce Brosnan's 007 famously scaled the structure while grappling with Sean Bean's traitorous 006. Unfortunately, the telescope sustained severe damage in August and had been deteriorating since.
