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Mourners ignored lockdown restrictions to take to the streets and offer their farewell to a much-loved grandmother of the traveller community today as the nation entered its second national lockdown. Family and friends congregated outside St Cuthbert's Church in Stockton-on-Tees today to pay their respects to Honor Francis, 63, who died on October 23 following an illness. The scenes came as the UK entered its second national lockdown today amid a rise in coronavirus cases across the UK. Following the service Ms Francis' daughter, Claire Bousfield, 38, described how the pandemic would not stop her family from celebrating her mother's life.  She told Teesside Live: 'Covid can kiss my backend, I'm giving my mum the send-off she deserves. I want her to go out like the Queen. She was our queen.'  Members of the traveller community paid their respects to Honor Francis, 63, who died on October 23 following an illness Mourners gathered outside St Cuthbert's Church i

Thousands of Sydney residents are being urged to immediately get tested for COVID-19 after the virus was found in sewerage drains across five suburbs.  NSW Health on Thursday night confirmed the state's sewage surveillance program detected traces of the virus at a sewage pumping station in the city's south-west. The sewerage system drains parts of Leppington, Catherine Field, Gledswood Hills, Varroville and Denham Court. 'Symptoms like a runny nose or scratchy throat, cough, tiredness, fever or loss of taste or smell can all signal COVID-19,' NSW Health said.   NSW Health on Thursday night confirmed the NSW sewage surveillance program detected traces of the virus at a sewage pumping station in the city's south-west (file image) 'After testing, you must remain isolated until a negative result is received.' Health officials started sewage testing for COVID‑19 in July, but there is no evidence the virus can be transmitted through wastewater systems.   NSW on

The Bank of England pumped another £150billion into the economy as lockdown began today - amid fears that it will send GDP plummeting and destroy jobs. The Bank has increased its mammoth bond-buying programme to £895billion, warning that UK plc's recovery was already 'softening' before the squeeze was announced on Saturday. Interest rates are being kept on hold at the record low of 0.1 per cent.  The economy is projected to shrink by 2 per cent between October and December, but the Monetary Policy Committee says the UK is likely to dodge a double-dip recession. GDP is now predicted to be 11 per cent lower this year in real terms, worse than the 9.5 per cent it suggested in August. The Bank's central expectation is that the economy will not regain its level from last year until the start of 2022. The MPC said unemployment is set to peak at 7.75 per cent in the second quarter of next year - with government bailouts pushing back the worst of the impact from the 7.5 per cen

Fort Worth, Texas police have arrested and charged the man they believe shot and killed Ibrahim Johnson, the half-brother of Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba. Stanley Laroy Ford Jr., 30, was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana, according to police records. He is currently being held on $150,000 bond. Johnson died from a shotgun wound to the chest on October 18 at an apartment complex where he and Ford were neighbors, according to a police warrant obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Johnson had been quarreling with two neighbors, including Ford, his girlfriend told police. Fort Worth, Texas police have arrested and charged the man they believe shot and killed Ibrahim Johnson , the half-brother of Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba. Stanley Laroy Ford Jr. , 30, was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana, according to police records. He is

Four out of 10 young people say they will break the coronavirus lockdown rules this Christmas, a survey has found. Forty per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds said they would flout the restrictions over the festive period, the YouGov poll for MailOnline revealed. It is more than double the number of over-65s - just 15 per cent - who admitted they will go rogue when asked. But 14 per cent of youths said they would definitely break the rules during the holiday - which are expected to return to the Tier system. It comes as the country today plunged into a second national lockdown, with pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops in England forced to close. Boris Johnson insisted four weeks of restrictions should be enough to drive down the spread of coronavirus so the severe measures can be eased. He said 'the objective' is to return to regional restrictions next month so 'people across this country will be able to have as normal a Christmas as possible'. Four out of 10 young peopl

Police are hunting a missing teen mom and her eight-day-old baby boy after they were last seen out for a walk in Georgia Wednesday.  Alyssa Nicole Ward, 17, and her newborn son Elijah have not been heard from since around 11:40am. They were seen on McDonald Drive in Rossville.  Catoosa County Sheriff's Office posted about the incident online, describing the new mom as a 'runaway juvenile'.  In their post police wrote: 'Please assist the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office with locating Alyssa Nicole Ward and her baby boy.' Alyssa Nicole Ward, 17, and her newborn son Elijah were last seen Wednesday The mother and son had been out for a walk on McDonald Drive in Rossville, police said Catoosa County Sheriff's Office described the new mom as a 'runaway juvenile' Ward is described as a white female with blonde, red hair and blue eyes.  She is 5 foot 2 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.  Ward’s baby boy is twenty and a half inches long, and weighs eight pounds, p

US stocks jumped again on Thursday as the presidential election hung in the balance with the Dow rising nearly 600 points and the S&P 500 rallying toward its biggest weekly jump since April. With counting continuing in the battleground states, investors were abandoning cautious positioning that many took ahead of the election, driving all of Wall Street's main indexes up by around 2 percent. The S&P 500 is on pace for its fourth straight gain of more than 1 percent, and a 7.6 percent jump for the week. That would be its best week since the market was exploding out of the crater created in February and March by panic about the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 577 points, or 2.1 percent, in mid-afternoon trading. The Nasdaq composite was 2.6 percent higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 577 points, or 2.1 percent, in mid-afternoon trading Markets are banking on Tuesday's election leading to split control of Congress, which could mean lo

A headteacher has been forced to apologise after she appeared to blame 'a number of' Bangladeshi families for increasing the risk of Covid-19 infections at her primary school. Karen Todd, who is in charge of Richard Avenue Primary School in Sunderland, faced significant backlash this week after stating she felt 'totally let down' by those in the 'Bangladeshi community' in a letter sent to parents. She suggested adults could be working as taxi drivers or in restaurants while awaiting the results of coronavirus tests, adding that others are allegedly attending wedding ceremonies at home and hosting Mehndi nights 'against the law.' The headteacher has since apologised and taken full responsibility for any offence caused - after furious parents and community leaders described feeling 'single-out' and stereotyped as rule-breakers by the note.   Ms Todd claimed in the letter, sent on November 3, that some adults were making a series of 'totally irr

A former Liberal Party candidate with suspected links to Beijing has become the first person charged under foreign interference laws in Australia.  Di Sanh Duong, 65, has been charged with a foreign interference offence under national security laws which were passed in 2018. He appeared briefly in Melbourne Magistrates Court and was granted bail to appear again in March  His charge is the first since the National Security Legislation Amendment (Espionage and Foreign Interference) Bill was passed after being introduced by then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.  Duong was the focus of a year-long investigation by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Australian Federal Police. Officers from both organisations raided multiple properties in Melbourne on October 16 in the lead up to his arrest. Di Sanh Duong is the first person in Australia to be charged with a foreign interference offence since national security laws passed in 2018 Officers raided multiple properties in

More than 3.5million over-50s had operations or treatment on the NHS cancelled during the first lockdown, a devastating report reveals today.  Widespread disruption to hospital services was felt hardest by the oldest and those in the worst health, according to a leading economic think-tank.  Almost a quarter of those wanting to see their GPs said they were unable to, leading to worries over their long-term health.  And three out of four needing community health and social care including dentists, counselling or personal care went without during the coronavirus peak.  The Institute for Fiscal Studies report paints a bleak picture of routine healthcare during the first wave, just as England enters a second national lockdown.  More than 3.5million over-50s had operations or treatment on the NHS cancelled during the first lockdown, a devastating report reveals today (stock image) Patient groups said the findings supported the 'chilling statistics' of a sharp rise in the number of o

Every parent knows what a struggle it is to get small children to eat their greens. A new technique, however, could help end those dinner table tantrums.  Researchers suggest asking youngsters to close their eyes, take a deep breath, put an item such as a green bean in their mouth and eat it slowly, while noting how it tastes and feels in their mouth.  Parent and child should then have a discussion about eating the vegetable or fruit. A study found that children who ate in this 'mindful' way for five weeks liked fruit and veg considerably more afterwards than they did before.  Researchers suggest asking youngsters to close their eyes, take a deep breath, put an item such as a green bean in their mouth and eat it slowly, while noting how it tastes and feels in their mouth (stock image) Researchers in the US recruited 24 children with an average age of three for lessons including mindfulness.  As well as eating thoughtfully, the children performed activities such as making a sala

Trials of a rapid coronavirus test which had been due to be used in Liverpool found it missed more than 50 per cent of positive cases. The test, which gives results in 20 minutes, was planned to form part of an 'Operation Moonshot' mass-testing programme in the city. But earlier trials in Salford were scaled back after just six weeks, in part due to concerns about the accuracy of the OptiGene Lamp test, according to The Guardian. Greater Manchester's Mass Testing Expert Group raised concerns about the accuracy of the test, which is favoured in hospitals because of its quick turnaround of results.  The test, which gives results in 20 minutes, was planned to form part of an 'Operation Moonshot' mass-testing programme in the city (stock picture) But earlier trials in Salford were scaled back after just six weeks, in part due to concerns about the accuracy of the OptiGene Lamp test (stock picture) The scientists reported a 'sensitivity' of just 46.7 per cent and