[ad_1] PA MediaLord Patrick Vallance, former government chief scientific adviser, gave evidence to the inquiry in west LondonBoris Johnson pushed for a more "ruthless, authoritarian approach" towards people who refused to self-isolate during the pandemic, according to documents seen by the Covid inquiry.The instinct of policy makers was to favour "punitive measures" over financial support, wrote Lord Patrick Vallance who spoke to the PM throughout the crisis and appeared alongside
[ad_1] Faisal IslamEconomics editor, ArizonaBBCAmong the cactuses in the desert of Arizona, just outside Phoenix, an extraordinary collection of buildings is emerging that will shape the future of the global economy and the world.The hum of further construction is creating not just a factory for the world's most advanced semiconductors. Eventually, it will mass produce the most advanced chips in the world. This work is being done in the US
[ad_1] Maddie MolloyClimate & science reporterGetty ImagesThe Soviet Union launched a number of missions to explore Venus – this probe was from an earlier flightPart of a Soviet-era spacecraft is likely to have re-entered the Earth's atmosphere after being stuck in orbit for more than half a century, the European Space Agency said. Kosmos 482, which launched in 1972 on a mission to Venus, never made it out of Earth's
[ad_1] Pallab GhoshScience correspondentBBCListen to this article on BBC SoundsThere are some scientific discoveries that do much more than advance our knowledge: they create a shift in our psyche as they show us the scale of the Universe and our place in it. One such moment was when space craft sent back images of the Earth for the first time. Another is the discovery of life on another world, a
[ad_1] Nick TriggleHealth correspondentBBCListen to this article on BBC SoundsMinisters, health staff and the public gathered in London last week for a summit to discuss the 10-year NHS plan in England. It was the final roadshow in a nationwide tour to help set out the strategy the government says will rescue the "broken" NHS, which has a waiting list of nearly 7.5 million patients and public satisfaction of just 21%
[ad_1] Matt Hancock has defended government deals to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic, saying the country was in a "desperate situation" at the time.In a bad-tempered session at the Covid inquiry, the former health secretary repeatedly criticised the line of questioning describing it as "naive", "hostile" and "inappropriate".He said he was "not at all surprised" when a so-called VIP lane for PPE suppliers with a political connection
[ad_1] Rebecca Morelle, Alison Francis and Greg BrosnanBBC ScienceWatch: Astronauts return to Earth after extended stay in SpaceAfter nine months in space, Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finally arrived back on Earth.Their SpaceX capsule made a fast and fiery re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere, before four parachutes opened to take them to a gentle splashdown off the coast of Florida. A pod of dolphins circled the craft.After
[ad_1] Faisal IslamEconomics editorBBCIn the next 24 hours and then over the following fortnight up until the Spring Statement, the government is going to talk a lot about a broken welfare system that is failing the people who use it, the economy and taxpayers.Taking a tough call on fixing it goes against the instincts of much of the Labour Party and has already sparked an internal backlash that could rise
[ad_1] Baroness Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman have accused the Covid inquiry of an "establishment cover-up" after their second attempt to be given an official role in the inquiry was rejected.The couple claimed they were the targets of a "politically motivated witch hunt" after the inquiry's chairwoman, Baroness Hallett, refused their application to be made "core participants".PPE Medpro, a firm led by Mr Barrowman, was awarded government contracts worth
[ad_1] Getty ImagesMichael Gove outside the Covid Inquiry after giving evidence on Monday, 10 March.Michael Gove has told the Covid inquiry it was "ludicrous" to suggest he tried to force through a deal for a new ventilator made by the electronics giant Dyson without proper safety checks.Emails show a senior official at the health watchdog warned that the former cabinet office minister was trying to "circumvent the regulatory process" in
