<p>A new proposed law is set to ban bosses in Belgium from contacting their employees outside of work hours unless in an emergency. The ‘Right to Disconnect’ rule is set to be introduced for civil servants in the country from next month, giving them the right to ignore work-related contact when they’re off the clock. <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/new-law-will-allow-employees-to-ignore-their-boss-after-work-hours-in-belgium/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Women who undergo surgery are 32% more likely to die if their operation is performed by a male doctor, a study has found. Research conducted by the University of Toronto revealed that female patients also had a 15% greater chance of a worse outcome in general when operated on by a male surgeon compared with <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/female-patients-more-likely-to-die-if-their-surgeon-is-male-study-suggests/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Snowfalls of up to six inches are predicted to sweep across parts of the UK today, January 6. The list for ‘coldest night of the year’ is pretty short at the moment considering we’re not even a week into 2022, but as temperatures dropped to -12°C in some parts of the UK last night it <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/snow-to-sweep-across-uk-as-brits-prepare-for-coldest-night-of-the-year/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Police have found a body in the search for missing 20-year-old Harvey Parker. Parker was last seen on December 17, 2021 leaving Heaven Nightclub by Charing Cross railway station in Westminster, London at around 2.15am. At 11.50am on Tuesday, January 4, the RNLI discovered a body in the River Thames, near Embankment, Westminster, close to <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/body-found-in-search-for-missing-20-year-old-harvey-parker/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>A judge in Argentina is under investigation after allegedly being caught kissing a convicted murderer on CCTV. Judge Mariel Suarez was caught on camera when she went to visit Cristian ‘Mai’ Bustos at the Provincial Penitentiary Institute (IPP) of Trelew on December 29, while he was behind bars for the 2009 shooting of policeman Leandro <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/judge-caught-kissing-convicted-murderer-on-prison-cctv-after-calling-for-reduced-sentence/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Four Black Lives Matter protesters have been found not guilty of criminal damage after pulling down a statue of Edward Colston and dropping it into Bristol harbour. Protesters toppled the statue of the 17th century slave merchant in June 2020 during a protest that occurred in the weeks following the death of George Floyd in <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/blm-protesters-found-not-guilty-of-criminal-damage-after-toppling-edward-colston-statue/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Actress Kim Mi-soo has died suddenly at the age of 29, according to her agent. The actress played Yeo Jung-min in the Disney+ series Snowdrop. She is also known for her roles in the 2019 movies Memories and Kyungmi’s World. While a cause of death has not been revealed, Mi-soo’s management confirmed her death and <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/kim-mi-soo-star-of-disneys-snowdrop-dies-aged-29/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Burger King has become the first UK fast food chain to sell vegan nuggets. The nuggets, which are made from pea and soy protein, have been certified by the Vegan Society and are an addition to the chain’s expanding vegan menu, which already includes the Vegan Royale burger. Today, January 5, the fast food franchise <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/burger-king-launches-vegan-nuggets-in-uk-fast-food-chain-first/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has reportedly been moved to a ‘high-security prison’ ahead of his sexual assault trial later this year. Mendy has been accused of seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to five women, with the latest count of rape coming last month. The Premier League footballer and <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/sport/manchester-city-footballer-benjamin-mendy-moved-to-one-of-britains-toughest-prisons/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to address the nation today, January 5, regarding the surge of Omicron cases in England. Johnson is planning to make the announcement after the first Prime Minister’s Questions of 2022, which is taking place at 3.00pm today. Following a meeting with his Cabinet this morning to discuss the rise <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/boris-johnson-set-to-address-the-nation-again-today-as-omicron-cases-surge/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>A former Israeli ambassador for the UN has called Emma Watson an ‘antisemite’. The Harry Potter actress was accused of antisemitism by former ambassador Danny Danon, Israel’s 17th Permanent Representative to the UN, after she shared an Instagram photo in solidarity with Palestinians. Watson reposted the photo from the Bad Activist Collective’s account, which Danon <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/emma-watson-accused-of-antisemitism-for-showing-solidarity-with-palestinians/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>South Korean and Japanese authorities suspect North Korea has launched a ballistic missile into the sea off the east coast of Japan. The claim first came from the Japanese coast guard, which said it could potentially be a ballistic missile that was fired, though no confirmation has yet been given. The alleged incident follows news <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/north-korea-fires-suspected-ballistic-missile-into-sea-off-japan/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Members of the British public were left baffled after Boris Johnson announced the creation of ‘250,000 virtual hospital beds’. The prime minister made the comment during a press conference today, January 4, as the UK reported 218,724 new cases of coronavirus. Johnson noted the number of new cases is the highest the UK has seen <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/boris-johnson-just-announced-2500-virtual-hospital-beds-and-people-are-confused/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>A Ryanair flight heading from the UK to Portugal was forced into making an emergency landing in France after a fire broke out mid-flight. Flight FR4052 took off from Manchester at 6.33pm yesterday, January 3, and was scheduled to arrive at 9.30pm in Faro, Portugal. However, the flight was forced to land at Brest in north-west France <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/ryanair-flight-forced-into-emergency-landing-after-fire-reportedly-erupted-mid-flight/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>A North Korean newspaper has claimed former dictator Kim Jong-il invented burritos in 2011. The popular Tex-Mex meal, which has allegedly become extremely popular in the capital, Pyongyang, found its way onto a state broadcast in which it was described as a ‘wheat wrap’. Newsreel footage shows North Koreans enjoying the ‘wheat wraps’ as they <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/paper-bizarrely-claims-kim-jong-il-invented-burritos-in-2011/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>A man has unexpectedly returned to North Korea after initially relocating to the South. On January 3, 2022, the South Korean defence ministry stated an unidentified individual had been caught on surveillance sneaking into the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) of the border, which is heavily armed. An official member of the military located in Seoul detailed <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/man-who-escaped-north-korea-returns-after-struggling-to-adapt-in-south-korea/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>A 34-year-old man has been reunited with his mother, after being abducted more than three decades ago. Li Jingwei was abducted when he was four years old, and sold to a child trafficking ring by a neighbour in his village in China’s Yunnan province. He has now been reunited with his mother after drawing a <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/abducted-man-reunites-with-family-by-drawing-map-of-home-from-memory/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Convictions imposed on people purely because of consensual homosexual activity under archaic, now-abolished laws are set to be wiped out, the home secretary has said. The pardons scheme for convictions is set to be widened, meaning anyone who engaged in consensual same-sex activity and was convicted under rules which have since been eradicated will now <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/all-consensual-gay-sex-convictions-to-be-pardoned-under-new-amendment/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>A new coronavirus variant with 46 mutations has been identified by scientists in France. Scientists have discovered a number of new variants following the initial COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, with members of the public experiencing different symptoms and levels of severity depending on the variant. After previously identifying the Delta and Omicron strains of <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/new-ihu-covid-variant-with-46-mutations-discovered-in-france/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Boris Johnson will hold a virtual press conference from No 10 Downing Street today. The news comes a day after the prime minister confirmed that despite ‘considerable’ pressure on the NHS, there were no plans to introduce further restrictions this week amid a continued surge in Covid-19 cases. Earlier today, a Downing Street spokesperson said <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/boris-johnson-to-hold-press-conference-today-2/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Lateral flow tests are reportedly being flogged online as the UK grapples with a shortage amid the ongoing surge in Covid-19 cases. The kits, which are provided for free by the NHS, have been widely unavailable for several days amid increased demand and supply issues, and it appears some people have spotted a gap in <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/omicron-lateral-flow-tests-are-being-sold-for-up-to-150-online/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Mayor of London Sadiq Khan plans to decriminalise cannabis and other class B drugs in a new trial scheme, it’s been reported. The Telegraph reports that Khan plans to launch the new measures in the London boroughs of Lewisham, Bexley and Greenwich, with the scheme aimed at reducing low-level drug convictions for under-25s. The trial <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/class-b-drugs-to-be-decriminalised-in-london/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>
<p>Katie Price has spoken out about her drink-driving arrest for the first time since she was sentenced. In December, Price was given a 16-week suspended sentence and a two-year driving ban after she crashed her car on the B2135 near Partridge Green in September, leaving the car upturned across the middle of the road. This <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/katie-price-breaks-silence-on-traumatic-drink-driving-arrest/" title="Read more" >…</a></p>