Researchers calculate that £190 billion is needed to get the UK economy back on track – four times as much as the chancellor has committed so far, and a figure which broadly matches the ambition of US president Joe Biden’s new administration. This UK stimulus should be devoted to supporting businesses, workers, and households hardest hit by the pandemic, restoring public services and helping the growth of sustainable, ‘future-proof’ industries and jobs. The thinktank said, ‘Failure to deliver such a boost risks condemning the UK to a stagnation trap with about half the rate of economic recovery. It would mean lower business investment and leave unemployment at more than 10 per cent in spring 2022.’

An illness suffered by soldiers who took part in the 1991 Gulf War was not caused by inhaling depleted uranium, according to a scientific study. Instead, researchers believe Gulf War syndrome may be due to soldiers being exposed to the nerve agent Sarin. The Royal British Legion said a lack of understanding of the condition has had a ‘serious impact’ on veterans. Around 250,000 Gulf War veterans could be living with the syndrome, which can cause symptoms such as insomnia and memory problems. Former soldier Kerry Fuller was a fit 26- year-old who loved outdoor activities before the war. He suffered a stroke at 40 and now says he is so ill, it is hard just to get out of bed. ‘My whole world and way of being changed just like that’, he said, ‘and there's no going back. The damage is done and my ailments are only getting worse. I think myself and the thousands of other veterans would just like an acknowledgment, and being able to access the correct treatment.’

The Czech government re-declared a state of emergency to tackle the coronavirus pandemic in defiance of the lower house of Parliament, which refused the minority government’s request to extend the powerful tool. The state of emergency gives extra powers to impose nationwide restrictions and limit people’s travel and rights. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the republic’s rate of 915 new confirmed cases per 100,000 people in the previous two weeks is the second worst per capita in the EU after Portugal. Despite the dire situation, some lawyers and politicians, including the Senate speaker, say the government’s move violates the country’s constitution. The government denies that, saying its legal advisers support such a solution. Meanwhile Germany has implemented tight border controls on its frontiers with the Czech Republic and Austria’s Tyrol province to stem the spread of variants.

Many are now saying the vaccination rollout has been plagued by bureaucracy, poorly-negotiated contracts, penny-pinching, blame-shifting, and secrecy. The result is a shortage of vaccines, and an immunisation crisis On 17 February Brussels announced it is now set to almost triple its orders of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine as part of an EU push to respond to the emergence of new variants and the possible need for booster shots. Deliveries under the new deal are unlikely to ease the current short-term vaccine supply squeeze but it would be delivered between April and June.