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Rishi Sunak keeps the chumocracy chugging along with the appointment of yet another of his former Goldman Sachs colleagues – as if with blithe ignorance of public concerns about the investment bank’s role in the 2007 global financial crisis which resulted in the loss of so many jobs, homes and savings. Last year, Sunak chose Richard Sharp, his former boss at Goldman Sachs, as a Treasury adviser to help with the Covid-19 rescue package. Sharp has now been made the new BBC chairman – allowing Sunak to bring in another Goldman alumnus, Chris Grigg, as a ‘senior adviser’. Grigg spent more than 20 years at the bank, rising to be partner, and got out just before the crash with bulging pockets. Rishi Sunak keeps the chumocracy chugging along with the appointment of yet another of his former Goldman Sachs colleagues He got a CBE in the latest honours list for holding down his job at the helm of property giant British Land and will soon be helping Sunak design the new Infrastructure Bank. Curio

Rescuers have discovered body parts and pieces of clothing during a desperate search for a missing Indonesian plane which mysteriously crashed after taking off on Saturday afternoon.  Sriwijaya Air Flight 182, with 62 people on board, took off from Soekarno-Hatta international airport for a 90-minute flight over the Java Sea between Jakarta and Pofntianak in West Kalimantan. But at 2.40pm - just four minutes after takeoff - the Boeing B737-500 plunged nearly 3,300 metres in less than 60 seconds to an altitude of just 75 metres, with witnesses claiming they heard two explosions.  Rescuers have discovered body parts and pieces of clothing during a desperate search for Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi on Sunday said authorities launched a widespread search for the Boeing 737-500 after narrowing down 'the possible location of the crash site' The Boeing B737-500 plunged nearly 3,300 metres in less than 60 seconds to an altitude of just 75 metres. Pi

Experts organising the roll-out of Britain's vaccinations are discussing who should be prioritised next - amid calls for teachers to be at the top of the list.  Boris Johnson has previously pledged to have all 13million of the most vulnerable people immunised against Covid-19 by next month - but there are increasing calls to protect frontline workers such as teachers and police.   The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation , which is overseeing the massive rollout, has been told to come up with a plan by the middle of February for the priority order of who should be vaccinated next. Professor Adam Finn told Sky News today: 'JCVI will be discussing over the coming month phase two if you like as to who should be prioritised next. 'As you can appreciate these considerations start to be social values in a way more than the criteria we normally use, which is pressure on the health service. As Britain hopes to have 13million people in the four most vulnerable groups vacc

Police are hunting for a man who smashed a McDonald's register to the ground after staff at the Sydney fast food restaurant asked him to scan a QR code. Security cameras caught the man going berserk at the counter at the McDonald's on Windsor Rd, Kellyville Ridge, in the city's northwest, just before 8pm on Saturday. The man allegedly lost his temper after a staff member asked him to check in using a QR code as part of the state's coronavirus regulations. The moustachioed man allegedly became agitated after being asked to leave for refusing to wear a face mask and refusing to scan the coronavirus QR code   The man snapped without warning and flung the order register and displays off the counter NSW Police said the man, aged in his late 20s or early 30s, was asked to leave after he refused to put on a mask. The man snapped suddenly, pushing an register to the ground as paper displays went flying. He allegedly screamed abuse at staff during the outburst, however police sa

Thousands of Brisbane residents are being urged to check their rubbish bins for Nike running shoes, earphones and a Woolworths cooler bag. The public appeal comes as detectives investigate the alleged murder of Paul Morrow.      Mr Morrow, 45, was found dead inside his home in Wynnum, Brisbane's east, on Wednesday with significant head injuries, police said.  Police investigating an alleged murder in Wynnum, Brisbane have called on the public's help to find items which may have been discarded. Pictured, officers at the scene last week  Police are asking residents in Wynnum, Wynnum North and Mount Gravatt to check their rubbish bins and yards for several items, including Nike running shoes Residents are also being urged to be on the lookout for a green and white cooler bag, most likely Woolworths brand A 24-year-old man has been charged with his murder.   Detectives investigating the alleged killing have called on the public's help to find the items which may have been disca

A young mother who battled a crippling meth addiction has shared powerful before and after photos of her police mugshot as she celebrates turning her life around. Jessica Nicholas, 31, was charged with supplying meth and last May and was sentenced to seven months' home detention, which ended in December.  Her addiction left her weighing just 45kg, her skin covered in scabs and teeth falling out.  Sixteen months after getting clean, the mother-of-one reminisced on her past by sharing striking photos of the day she got arrested, and a recent shot of herself.  'I'm f**king shookith. But I'm also proud as punch as to how far I have come in just over a year...I can't even right now,' she wrote. Sixteen months after getting clean, the mother-of-one reminisced on her past by sharing striking photos of the day she got arrested, and a recent shot of herself While it's still early days, Ms Nicholas isn't 100 per cent certain she will never relapse but said every d

Former Labour leader and prime minister Tony Blair has been advising Tory Health Secretary Matt Hancock on his vaccines strategy, it emerged today. Mr Blair, who stepped down as leader and as an MP 13 years ago after 10 years in power, has become a powerful voice in the fight to use vaccines to allow the UK economy to come out of hibernation and save lives and livelihoods. He has offered 'strategic advice' to the Cabinet minister several times during the pandemic, the Sunday Times reported today.  It said he had also spoken with Haroness Harding, the much-criticised head of the test and trace programme.  Mr Hancock did not deny the claim when asked today, saying merely: 'I talk to all sorts of people and we take ideas from lots of sources.' Mr Blair, who stepped down as leader and as an MP 13 years ago after 10 years in power, has become a powerful voice in the fight to use vaccines to allow the UK economy to come out of hibernation and save lives and livelihoods He has

Retired medics will still have to fill out 15 forms to join the mass coronavirus vaccination drive despite Boris Johnson's pledge to cut red tape. The Prime Minister promised MPs 'all such obstacles and all such pointless pettifoggery has been removed' on Wednesday. But the 21 pieces of evidence needed before a retired medic could administer vaccinations were only cut down by six - meaning 15 training modules remain, reported the Sunday Telegraph.  Liam Fox MP, a doctor who has been trying to volunteer, said: 'For qualified and registered medical professionals there needs to be a recognition that too much time wasting bureaucracy will act to deter people from offering their services.'  The Prime Minister promised MPs 'all such obstacles and all such pointless pettifoggery has been removed' on Wednesday. Pictured, Boris Johnson on January 7 Key worker Russell Robson from Sunderland receives the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Life Science Centre at th

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has sparked a new skirmish with Victoria after pointed comments on Sunday about 'other states' shutting borders without asking.  Ms Berejiklian told 'other state leaders' that unexpected breakouts needed to be watched for 48 hours before shutting the borders. 'Firstly, please talk to us in New South Wales before you close the border,' she said on Sunday.  'Closing a border can affect literally tens and hundreds of thousands of people, depending on where it is, and that's a big call.' Ms Berejiklian said it was difficult to minimise stress on citizens while also keeping the virus at bay. New South Wales recorded three new cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday for a weekly total of 48, of which 16 were locally acquired, NSW Health said on Sunday. There are now 109 active coronavirus cases in NSW but only one is serious enough to have required hospitalisation. That percentage of tests in the state returning a positive

Hilarious footage has emerged of an underwear-clad cricket fan parading around the stands of a Perth stadium with a giant 'beer snake' in his hand. The clip shows the man - wearing nothing but his sneakers and 'tradie' branded briefs - carrying a precarious stack of finished plastic beers cups.  He is seen carefully trying not to break the towering beer snake as he steps past cheering spectators in the upper stands of Optus Stadium with a female security guard in pursuit. 'The rise and fall of the beer snake warrior,' the footage, taken last Saturday as Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash league, was captioned on Facebook. 'Hey!', the guard can be heard saying multiple times as she tries to stop him. To the crowd's dismay, the 'snake' breaks while the man manoeuvres through the seats away from security. At one stage, a spectator can be seen handing the man a drink and another cup to add to his tower as the crowd erupts. The

Sick patients in need of an ambulance may not be able to get one at their time of need if pressures on the NHS continue to increase, a leading paramedic has today warned.   Tracy Nicholls, the head of professional body the College of Paramedics, says ambulance services are under 'unprecedented pressure' with handover delays at a scale never seen before. She said some ambulance crews have reported waiting up to ten hours to transfer a patient to hospital staff in areas where there is increased pressure on NHS services.  And in a stark warning, she said there was a 'potential risk' that patients would not be able to access an ambulance if such pressures continue to increase. The caution comes as England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty today said hospitals face 'the worst crisis in living memory' as Covid-19 cases continue to soar - with 46,000 medical workers now off sick.    And he warned that Britons who do not take the coronavirus lockdown seriously wi