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According to the PM's new senior assistant, the government will take a "step back" from people's lives and pursue "a smaller state." While public health efforts and large sums of money spent on the pandemic were the appropriate judgments, Steve Barclay told the Sunday Telegraph that it was time for "a more enabling approach." Mr. Barclay, a cabinet minister, was appointed as the PM's new chief of staff last week. On a visit of regions of the UK this week, No. 10 says the prime minister will focus on domestic affairs. It comes as Boris Johnson's leadership continues to be criticized and questioned by several Conservative MPs. Mr Barclay's appointment as chief of staff was part of a shake-up at No 10 following civil servant Sue Gray's initial report into Downing Street lockdown parties, as well as the ongoing police inquiry into the events. Mr. Barclay says in his first public comments since then: "The restoration of a smaller st

According to The Associated Press, Biden and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Saturday in what could be a last-ditch effort to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Putin attempted to schedule the call for Monday, but Biden insisted that it happen as soon as possible on Friday. During the call, Biden was at Camp David. According to The New York Post, Biden and Putin spoke directly for the first time since December on Saturday. Negotiations between US and Russian diplomats in Geneva and at the United Nations have yielded little to no progress in defusing the crisis, and Russia has massed 130,000 troops on Ukraine's border. According to US intelligence sources, Putin may have already given the order to invade. The State Department has recommended all American citizens to leave Ukraine while they still have the opportunity. Putin spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron before the call, and the two met in Moscow on Monday. After the meeting on Monday, Macron told reporters that he h

The New York Times said that American snowboarders Lindsey Jacobellis, 36, and Nick Baumgartner, 40, won gold in the mixed-gender team snowboardcross event on Saturday, an event that will debut at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The two, who have been friends for a long time, were the oldest duo in the medal round. After embracing Baumgartner at the finish line, Jacobellis quipped, "We're the 80s babies." "We came in hot today and we're definitely looking forward to it." Jacobellis claimed Team USA's first gold medal of the 2022 Olympics in the women's snowboardcross event on Wednesday, according to USA Today. In the mixed-gender snowboardcross, Italy got silver while Canada took bronze. According to the New York Times, Baumgartner won the first leg of the final race by a hair "In a final with two Italian teams, Jacobellis soon slipped to third place. She overtook one rider on a tiny jump and then pursued Michela Moioli of Italy down the cours

Biden planned to urge Putin to de-escalate the situation and withdraw the over 100,000 With the threat of conflict growing, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden have ended a phone discussion to discuss the Ukraine crisis, as the White House claims intelligence shows Russia might invade at any time. According to the White House, the call lasted 62 minutes. Russian troops stationed near Ukraine's borders. According to a US official familiar with the results, the US received evidence that Russia is considering Wednesday as a potential date for an invasion. The individual, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly, would not specify how conclusive the intelligence was. Russia's buildup of artillery near Ukraine, however, has reached the stage where it might attack on short notice, according to US sources. Prior to speaking with Biden, Putin spoke on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with him in Moscow earlie

Jerry Harris could be sentenced to up to 50 years in jail. In a federal sex abuse prosecution against him, Jeremiah "Jerry" Harris, one of the stars of the Netflix documentary series Cheer, has pleaded guilty. Harris, 22, acknowledged to acquiring child pornography and traveling to another state with the intention of engaging in illegal sexual activity. Since his arrest in Chicago in 2020, he has been placed in pre-trial detention. The guilty plea was part of a compromise that allowed him to escape prosecution on five other federal offenses. Cheer is an Emmy Award-winning television show that follows the life of the Navarro College cheerleading team in Texas. Cheer is an Emmy Award-winning television show that follows the life of the Navarro College cheerleading team in Texas. Harris' celebrity earned him an invitation to the Academy Awards, where he interviewed celebrities on the red carpet as a guest of TV host Ellen DeGeneres. He pleaded guilty on Thursday to offering

Due to escalating Russian military threats, US President Joe Biden has ordered all American citizens still in Ukraine to evacuate the country immediately. Mr. Biden has stated that if Russia invades Ukraine, he will not send soldiers to rescue Americans. "Things might get crazy rapidly" in the region, he said. Despite massing more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, Russia has repeatedly denied any ambitions to invade the country. However, it has recently launched large-scale military exercises with Belarus, and Ukraine has accused Russia of obstructing its access to the sea. The Kremlin has stated that it intends to enforce "red lines" in order to prevent its former Soviet neighbor from joining Nato. In the midst of the tensions, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared on Thursday that Europe is facing its worst security crisis in decades. The US State Department has advised Americans in Ukraine to leave as soon as possible. Mr Biden told NBC News, &quo

Officials from the United States have encouraged Canada's government to use its federal authority to remove a trucker blockade protesting Covid restrictions. President Joe Biden is routinely briefed on the protests that have erupted in Ottawa and at a border crossing that accounts for a fifth of all US-Canada trade. Automobile manufacturers and municipal governments are seeking an injunction to end the Ambassador Bridge roadblock. Protesters in Ontario have been denied access to internet donations by an Ontario court. After being removed off GoFundMe for allegedly breaking its harassment policy, the truckers have raised over $8 million (C$10 million, £5.9 million) through online site GiveSendGo. The order "binds any and all parties with possession or control over these gifts," according to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose office pursued it. According to a White House official, the US Secretaries of Homeland Security and Transportation spoke with their Canadian counterpart

According to First Minister Mark Drakeford, the law forcing people to wear face masks in Wales could be repealed by the end of March. According to the Welsh government, lowering case rates indicate it may be able to relax some of the remaining coronavirus restrictions. From the 18th of February, Covid passes for entertainment venues, nightclubs, and large events will no longer be required. Additionally, from February 28, students will not be required to wear masks in class, and schools will be free to set their own standards. From February 28, the law requiring face coverings in most public areas will be loosened as well. They will no longer be necessary in shops, public transportation, hairdressers, salons, or health and social services. While they will continue to be necessary in locations like shops, public transportation, hairdressers, salons, and health and social services, they will no longer be required in places like churches, cinemas, and museums. Self-isolation requirements w

 Following Dame Cressida Dick's retirement, a search for a new Metropolitan Police Commissioner is underway. Dame Cressida said she was left with "no choice" when London Mayor Sadiq Khan expressed his displeasure with her leadership. "I agreed to stay for a short term to preserve the Met's stability," she stated. Some Met PCs were found guilty of "disgraceful" misogyny, discrimination, and sex harassment by the police watchdog last week. Dame Cressida, the first woman to manage the UK's largest police department, was also chastised after Sarah Everard was murdered by a serving Met officer last year. The Met is also in charge of national counter-terrorism policing, in addition to London. The home secretary will pick her successor in collaboration with the mayor of London. Matt Jukes and Neil Basu, both assistant Met commissioners, are among the contenders. Sir Paul Stephenson, a former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, told LBC that "we sho

After suggesting that the number of women in some fire departments be reduced, a deputy police and crime commissioner resigned. At a Hampshire fire authority meeting in December, Luke Stubbs said that equality goals "primarily benefit women and minorities." His statements were severely panned, and he later apologized. Mr. Stubbs has subsequently resigned, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. He made his remarks during a meeting of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority, when plans to hire more women and people from minority ethnic groups were discussed. "Government is bringing in quota programs across the public sector - and I think this is bad," Mr Stubbs said, "but only where it favors women and minorities." "It has to be 50/50 in regions where it's largely men, but there's no change in areas where it's mostly women." "I would like confidence that actions are being taken to lower that," he