The Bank of England kept its stimulus programme unchanged on Thursday ahead of an expected recovery in Britain’s economy later this year, helped by the fast rollout of the country’s COVID-19 vaccination programme.

More British people returned to offices after schools in England reopened, but there were falls in consumer spending and ships calling at British ports, weekly official figures on the impact of COVID-19 on the economy showed on Thursday.

Wales started today returning to normal life with hairdressers reopening and children returning to school, dpa reported. As of today children aged 4 to 11 and teenagers aged 14 to 17 have returned to school for the first time in 2021. Hairdressers and barbers have also reopened for bookings-only appointments.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will invest 3 billion pounds ($4.17 billion) in England’s bus network, aiming to provide more frequent, cheaper services to encourage people to catch the bus instead of using the car.

The Catholic priests cannot bless same-sex unions, the Vatican said on Monday cited by Reuters and added that such blessings are “not licit” if carried out. The Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), issued the ruling in response to questions and moves in some parishes to impart such blessings as a sign of welcome to gay Catholics since the Church does not permit homosexual marriage.

Three health workers in Norway who recently received the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine are being treated in hospital for blood clots and bleeding, Norwegian health authorities say.

Norway halted on Thursday the rollout of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, following a similar move by Denmark, Reuters reported.

The head of a major British press organization has resigned over his response to Meghan and Harry’s television interview, AP reported. Ian Murray, executive director of the Society of Editors, is the second senior UK media figure to leave amid a heated debate over the royal couple’s allegations of racism and bias.

Norway became the latest country to add AstraZeneca’s vaccine to its Covid-19 immunization programme for people over the age of 65, news wires reported.

British children returned to school on Monday after a two-month closure, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying he aimed to get the country “ moving closer to a sense of normality.”