Coronavirus: Covid-19 cases and vaccine sites in Kent, Sussex and Surrey

There have been more than 9,503,100 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far in England and more than 127,800 people have died, government figures show.

For information about vaccines in the South East, you can click here for Kent and Medway, here for East Sussex, here for West Sussex, here for Brighton and Hove and here for Surrey.

Below is a table of local authority areas in Kent, Sussex and Surrey, showing how many people have tested positive for coronavirus in the week leading up to 13 December.

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Hundreds rally in Tunisia on revolution anniversary

There was a heavy police presence in part of the Tunisian capital on Friday morning as hundreds took to the streets to mark the 11th anniversary of the start of the revolution which saw the downfall of former President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and sparked the Arab spring.

Opposition parties had called for mass protests on Friday, in a stand against recent measures announced by President Kais Saied, according to local media.

Some of the president’s supporters were also present, according to the AFP news agency.

They held a banner which read: “We are with you to the end in the fight against corruption,” along with a photo of the head of state, AFP reports.

Mr Saied was elected in a landslide in 2019 promising to stand up against corruption, but has since caused controversy after he suspended parliament.

In a televised national address on Monday, Mr Saied said that parliament would remain suspended until fresh elections in a year’s time.

Earlier this month Mr Saied switched the official anniversary of the revolution from 14 January to 17 December – the day in 2010 when a Tunisian street vendor set himself on fire.

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Thetford: Man jailed for killing David Lawal in county lines stabbing

A teenager has been jailed for killing a man in a case connected to county lines drug-dealing.

David Lawal, 25, from London, was found with stab wounds at the side of Brandon Road, Thetford on 3 October 2019, and died at the scene.

Amrik Singh, 19, of Abbey Lane in Newham, east London, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at an earlier hearing.

He was jailed for six years at Norwich Crown Court.

Five people, including Singh, were originally charged with his murder, but as a result of this plea in November, the charge against the other four was dropped.

IMAGE SOURCE,NORFOLK CONSTABULARY

Image caption,

Amrik Singh, who lived in the Mill Meads area of Newham in east London, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of David Lawal

County line gangs are urban drug dealers who sell to customers in more rural areas via dedicated phone lines.

Norfolk Police said officers were called shortly after 19:00 GMT when officers on patrol discovered members of the public giving first aid to a man with stab wounds, with Mr Lawal pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 20:00.

A post-mortem examination found he died from a single stab wound to the neck and upper chest.

The force said it quickly emerged that the death had “all the hallmarks of being connected to county lines activity”, with Singh and his victim members of rival groups selling crack and heroin in Thetford.

Image caption,

Police originally charged five people with murder in connection with the death

Three others were jailed after they admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at an earlier hearing.

Elie Saba, 35, of Goddards Way, in Ilford, was sentenced to eight years; Iddi Zito, 19, of Essex Street, in Forest Gate, east London, and Lisa Desousa, 23, of Nightingale Road, north London, were both sentenced to three years and three months.

Det Ch Insp Phill Gray, who led the investigation, said: “Detectives examined thousands of pieces of evidence, witness statements and CCTV footage to try to piece together what happened in the hours leading up to Mr Lawal’s death and immediately afterwards.

“I am pleased we have brought Singh, Saba and their fellow defendants to justice. However, I want to remember that David Lawal, who we know was also dealing drugs in Thetford, was left to die at the side of the road.

“He didn’t deserve his life to end this way and his family and friends are left to mourn his loss and try to come to terms with the painful truth about how he lived his life.”

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Covid in Wales: NHS and social care staff asked to take daily tests

Frontline NHS, social care, hospice and special school staff will be asked to take a lateral flow test (LFT)every day by the Welsh government.

The stepping up of guidance on routine testing comes in response to the expected Omicron wave.

Tests should be taken “in good time” before the start of a shift, Health Minister Eluned Morgan said.

It comes as the UK records its highest Covid case figures for a third successive day.

Mark Drakeford has announced new restrictions on businesses from 27 December, including the closure of nightclubs.

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In a statement, Ms Morgan said staff eligible for routine asymptomatic testing will be “strongly encouraged to take a LFT every day before they attend work”.

She added: “They should take the test at home, using the LFTs provided by their employer, in good time before the start of their shift, to allow that shift to be covered by alternative staff member, if the test is positive.”

She said daily testing was more likely to identify those who were more infectious.

“We are engaging with our partners across the relevant sectors to support the implementation of this change in guidance so operational changes can be made as soon as possible,” she added.

Frontline health and social care staff were previously asked to take two weekly tests.

It later emerged that some hospitals did not implement the policy, unveiled in December 2020, until March this year.

Deputy chief medical officer Chris Jones later said he did not think twice-weekly testing was “particularly important in the whole scheme of things“.

He said they were a “small part” of a “huge range” of infection control measures.

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Macron cancels Mali trip after futile attempt to secure meeting with Goita

Macron was said to meet transitional leader Colonel Assimi Goita but earlier DNT reports indicated that the Malian leader had no plans to meet with Macron.

Macron was also supposed to pay a Christmas visit to French troops stationed there to fight a jihadist insurgency in the country.

“This decision was taken for consistency between the measures announced at national level and the president’s international agenda, and to not expose our troops” as France battles a fifth wave of the virus, the president’s office said in a statement.

The office said, however, that a Christmas meal prepared by the president’s chef would be flown over to French military personnel stationed in the Sahel country.

The official statement added that organising the meeting with the Goita had been tricky even before the cancellation.

Goita is adamant that his country’s dealing with Russia would be more equitable than how it has historically been with France hence the recent acquisition of four MI-171 helicopters from Russia.

DNT News,

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