TRENDING
THE BRITS
The music awards will take place at the O2 Arena in London on Tuesday and will be first major indoor music event to welcome back a live audience with 2,500 tickets gifted by the recorded music industry to frontline heroes. Jack Whitehall, right, is the host.
BOOHOO
The online retailer has reported a 41% rise in fullyear sales. The fashion brand said that the demand for activewear and loungewear during the pandemic helped to offset “significant declines” in ‘going out’ clothes caused by the lockdowns.
TRAVELODGE
The hotel chain is to open 17 new sites this year, creating more than 360 jobs across the UK. The £175million move will increase its network to 597 sites in the UK, Ireland and Spain.
CARELESS WHISPER
The Wham! track, written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, has been crowned the number one song of all time. The Eighties ballad topped Smooth Radio’s annual All Time Top 500. Singer George, who died aged 53 in 2016, was also named the most popular artist in the poll.
BILL AND MELINDA GATES
The billionaire Microsoft founder and his wife were the world’s best-known philanthropic power couple but the pair are divorcing after 27 years of marriage. They issued joint statements on Twitter stating that they “no longer believe we can grow together as a couple”.
POLLUTION
Air pollution causes high blood pressure in kids and increases their risk of it in adulthood, a study shows. Scientists looked at the effects of different sized particles on children and found short-term exposure of less than 30 days to larger, coarse ones was enough to raise blood pressure significantly.
DEBENHAMS
The last of the department store chain’s branches are to close next week, ending 242 years of history on the high street. It has had a closing down sale since reopening last month after lockdown with up to 80% off items.
DONALD TRUMP
The former US president is to stay banned from Facebook after the social media giant upheld a decision to silence him on its site after he posted inflammatory comments before his supporters stormed the Capitol in January.
TANKING