While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 20

Compared with adults, children are much less likely to develop severe illness following infection with the coronavirus. PHOTO: REUTERS

Britain says most children will not be given Covid-19 jabs

Britain said on Monday it has decided against giving mass Covid-19 vaccinations to all children and they would only be offered in certain situations such as when young people have underlying health conditions.

Compared with adults, children are much less likely to develop severe illness following infection with the coronavirus.

But the majority of British parents in a survey this month said they favoured giving their children a vaccine if offered it.

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'Not really nervous': Billionaire Bezos girds for inaugural space flight

American billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos said on Monday he is excited and curious but not very nervous on the eve of taking part in his company Blue Origin's inaugural suborbital flight alongside the oldest and youngest people ever bound for space.

The world's richest person and three crewmates are due to fly from a desert site in West Texas on an 11-minute trip to the edge of space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard, a 60-foot-tall (18.3 meters) and fully autonomous rocket-and-capsule combo. The flight represents an important milestone in the establishment of the space tourism industry.

Bezos did a round of televised interviews ahead of the launch, set for around 8 a.m. CDT (1300 GMT) from Blue Origin's Launch Site One facility some 20 miles (32 km) outside the rural Texas town of Van Horn.

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Biden urges Americans 'please, please' get vaccinated

US President Joe Biden urged Americans to get vaccinated for the coronavirus on Monday with the unvaccinated responsible for a surge in cases that contributed to a drop in the stock market.

US Covid-19 cases have been on the increase in recent weeks and officials say the rise is almost entirely among people who have not been vaccinated as the highly infectious Delta variant becomes the dominant Covid-19 strain in the country.

Nearly all deaths and hospitalisations nationwide have been among unvaccinated people, officials say.

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Prince Harry will publish a memoir in late 2022

Britain's Prince Harry is writing a memoir about his life that will be published in late 2022, publisher Penguin Random House said in a statement on Monday (July 19).

The book will provide a "definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him," the publisher said.

Harry and his wife Meghan, formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped down from royal duties in early 2020 and are living in California with their two children.

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Andrew Lloyd Webber closes new Cinderella musical, blaming UK government

Musical theatre impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber on Monday closed his new London production of Cinderella the day before it was due to open after a cast member tested positive for the coronavirus.

Lloyd Webber did not announce a new opening date, blaming "impossible conditions" imposed by the British government.

"I have been forced to take the heart-breaking decision not to open my Cinderella," Lloyd Webber said in a statement.

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