Coronavirus infection rates have been above 40,000 every day for the past seven days, and on Tuesday the number of deaths relating to the virus was the highest since March. Although daily figures released by the government tend to be higher on Tuesdays and deaths are well below the winter peak, the situation is causing concern. Health leaders say some Covid restrictions such as mandatory face coverings in crowded and enclosed spaces must be reintroduced immediately in England to avoid "stumbling into a winter crisis". The government has plans in place to reintroduce such measures - referred to as Plan B - to tackle the virus but only when the first method, Plan A - offering booster jabs, vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds and advising face coverings be worn in crowded places - isn’t enough to prevent "unsustainable pressure" on the NHS.
"The NHS is preparing for what could be the most challenging winter on record," according to Matthew Taylor, head of the NHS Confederation, which represents health service organisations, and he says it’s time for the government to implement Plan B without delay. Ministers "should not wait for Covid infections to rocket and for NHS pressures to be sky high before the panic alarm is sounded", he says. The government’s "keeping a very close eye on rising case rates" and the prime minister's acknowledged the UK faces "a difficult winter" but there are no plans to move into Plan B. At the moment the most important message is "the vital importance of the booster programme” and for children who are eligible to come forward and get vaccinated, says Boris Johnson's spokesman. It's not surprising that NHS leaders are warning about a very challenging time ahead with the risk of a "winter crisis", our health editor Hugh Pym says, adding ministers will argue more time is needed to assess data before taking big decisions on restrictions affecting everyday lives.

The UK government revealed its latest strategy to reach net zero - which means the country will no longer be adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - by 2050. It's not the only one to make such pledges to tackle climate change but the United Nations (UN) says plans by governments to extract fossil fuels up to 2030 are incompatible with keeping global temperatures to safe levels. Some of the biggest oil, gas and coal producers have not set out plans to rapidly reduce fossil fuels that scientists say are necessary to limit temperatures in coming years. Countries will drill or mine more than double the levels needed to keep the 1.5C threshold alive, says the UN in its production gap report. "The research is clear: global coal, oil, and gas production must start declining immediately and steeply to be consistent with limiting long-term warming to 1.5C," says Ploy Achakulwisut, a lead author on the report from the Stockholm Environment Institute.

When was the last time you used a cash machine? And how often do you use them? It seems we’re using them much less but we’re taking more money out of when we do. Before the pandemic people were visiting a cash machine on average three times a month. Eighteen months on people are using them less than twice a month, but the average amount being withdrawn has climbed more than £10 to just under £80. Withdrawals are now nearly £100m less a day than in 2019, says cash machine network Link. "Covid has turbocharged the switch to digital," adds Nick Quin, Link’s head of financial inclusion.

The UK government’s announcement to cut greenhouse gas emissions to a virtually zero-carbon economy and Covid booster jabs are the main stories leading the front pages this morning. The Daily Mail takes on the climate story, describing Prime Minster Boris Johnson’s plan as a "trillion pound green gamble". The Metro says it's a "countdown to net zero" while the Times reports new taxes or reduced spending will be needed to pay for the costs of decarbonisation. The Daily Express, the Mirror and the Sun are among the papers reporting on the booster jabs. The Sun launches a campaign, with the headline "booster jabs: time for lift-off" while the Daily Express says experts are urging millions to get a top-up of the vaccine. Read the newspaper review in full here.

When a rock band’s equipment was stolen, they were speechless - they couldn’t believe £25,000 of kit had disappeared. Determined to get it back, Noisy posted photos of the missing items on Instagram in the hope something would turn up… and it did via an online auction site. They’ve got it back and you can find out here how they did it. The band’s since joked the story could be made into a film.
Now, films have been made about the next one and they’re now featuring in a new video game. The latest edition of Assassin’s Creed is all about Vikings, and its creators - using their research for the game - have put a tour in there so gamers can learn about that period of history. But can video games teach history? Make your mind up here.
And finally, she's made history as the country’s longest-reigning monarch, but the 95-year-old Queen doesn’t believe she meets the criteria to accept a magazine’s Oldie of the Year award. She’s "politely but firmly" turned it down, saying "you are as old as you feel" and hopes a more worthy winner can be found. Take a look.

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