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Jan 14 round-up: Pharmacies to give vaccines; Trump impeached twice; Debenhams to close stores; Porsche Boxster is 25

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Time 6:52 am, January 14, 2021

  • Here are the headlines on Thursday, January 14

High street pharmacies to start vaccines

High street pharmacies will begin rolling out Covid vaccines, as the virus death toll across the UK climbed above 100,000.

Boots and Superdrug branches will be among the six stores across England which will be able to administer the jabs from today while the government aims to hit its target of vaccinating all people in the four most vulnerable groups by the middle of next month.


Andrews Pharmacy in Macclesfield, Cullimore Chemist in Edgware, north London, Woodside Pharmacy in Telford and Appleton Village pharmacy in Widnes will be in the first group to hand out the injections, alongside Boots in Halifax, and Superdrug in Guildford.

Trump becomes first US president to be impeached twice

President Donald Trump has been impeached by the US House of Representatives for a historic second time.


Trump was charged with ‘incitement of insurrection’ over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol, with the House voting 232-197 to impeach him.

Ten Republicans joined Democrats who said Trump needed to be held accountable and warned ominously of a ‘clear and present danger’ if Congress should leave him unchecked before Democrat Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.

Rail passengers urged to check journey times as timetables are cut

People who need to travel by train during lockdown are being urged to check journey planners as timetables are slashed.

Services are being cut from around 87 per cent of normal levels to 72 per cent, with morning and evening peak services being prioritised to support key workers.

Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said this reflects the lower number of people travelling and provides better value for money for taxpayers, who are subsiding franchised train operators to keep trains running.

Special edition Porsche Boxster celebrates the roadster’s 25th birthday

Porsche has revealed a limited edition Boxster that celebrates the model’s 25th birthday.

Called the Boxster 25 Years, it’s based on the GTS 4.0 model and be limited to just 1,250 units worldwide. It takes design inspiration from the original Boxster concept car, which was first shown at the 1993 Detroit motor show, and is on sale now with prices starting at £72,760 with deliveries following later in the spring.


Key influences include a reinterpretation of the ‘Neodyme’ paint job, which is used on various parts such as the 20-inch alloy wheels and side air intakes. Other nods include the use of the Bordeaux leather interior and red fabric roof, with the latter getting embossed ‘Boxster 25’ lettering.

Traffic has not fallen to the same low levels seen during the first national lockdown

The number of cars on the road during the current national lockdown has not fallen at the same rates seen during the first lockdown in March last year.

Analysis of RAC Black Box Insurance customer data shows there were an average of 10 per cent more cars on the road during the first week of the current lockdown compared with the first week of the first lockdown.

That represented 31 per cent more miles driven each day. However, it still equates to a 22 per cent reduction on normal car use, compared with the first week of February 2020. The RAC says traffic levels are currently comparable to those seen in May last year when lockdown restrictions first started to ease and people were encouraged to return to work.

Debenhams to close six stores including flagship Oxford Street

Department store chain Debenhams has said it will permanently close six branches, including the flagship Oxford Street shop, with the loss of 320 jobs.

It said it had also told staff at stores in Portsmouth, Staines, Harrogate, Weymouth and Worcester last week that they will not reopen.

Debenhams’ administrator FRP Advisory said it is continuing to talk with potential suitors over the potential sale of all or parts of the business, and still intends to reopen as many stores as possible to sell off stock, despite coronavirus restrictions keeping non-essential retailers shut.

Overcast and wet

Much of the UK will see rain, sleet and snow with overcast skies, reports BBC Weather. The south west of England and Northern Ireland will see some sunny spells, however.

Tonight the rain, sleet and snow will ease and will thin out, leaving a dry night. Coastal areas may see an odd lingering shower.

 

James Batchelor's avatar

James – or Batch as he’s known – started at Car Dealer in 2010, first as the work experience boy, eventually becoming editor in 2013. He worked for Auto Express as editor-at-large and was the face of Carbuyer’s YouTube reviews. In 2020, he went freelance and now writes for a number of national titles and contributes regularly to Car Dealer. In October 2021 he became Car Dealer's associate editor.



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