Month: August 2022

Getty Images The UK has become the first country to approve a dual vaccine which tackles both the original Covid virus and the newer Omicron variant. The upgraded vaccine should be available as an autumn booster and give better protection against variants. Moderna said it could supply doses in the next few weeks, but exactly

Getty Images Labour has called for an extension of the tax on oil and gas companies to fund a freeze in the energy price cap. The cap – the maximum amount suppliers can charge for average use – is forecast to hit £3,582 in October and £4,266 in January. Leader Sir Keir Starmer said if

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Much of the UK has been experiencing another day of high temperatures – but the spell of extreme hot weather is due to come to an end with thunderstorms. Rain and lower temperatures are forecast for Sunday

Getty Images The man suspected of stabbing Salman Rushdie at an event in the United States on Friday has been charged with attempted murder. Hadi Matar has been remanded in custody without bail after pleading not guilty, said the prosecutor in Chautauqua County, New York State. Mr Matar is accused of running onto the stage

PA Media Over a literary career spanning five decades, Sir Salman Rushdie has been no stranger to death threats arising due to the nature of his work. The novelist is one of the most celebrated and successful British authors of all time, with his second novel, Midnight’s Children, winning the illustrious Booker Prize in 1981.

Getty Images Salman Rushdie’s agent has said “the news is not good” after the author was stabbed at an event in New York state. He was attacked on stage, and is now on a ventilator and unable to speak, Andrew Wylie said in a statement, adding that the author may lose one eye. Mr Rushdie

PA Media Another hosepipe ban begins on Friday, as an amber extreme heat warning, low water levels and tinder dry conditions continue across much of the UK. South East Water said it had “no choice” but to issue the ban, affecting 1.4 million Kent and Sussex customers. The government is expected to declare a drought

Reuters Liz Truss has defended earnings at energy companies amid soaring price rises, saying profits should not be considered “dirty and evil”. The Tory leadership hopeful said windfall taxes on profits – urged by some to fund help for households – were about “bashing business”. She said cutting taxes was the best way to help

PA Media An amber extreme heat warning has come into force, with temperatures forecast to hit 37C (99F) in some parts of the UK over the next four days. The Met Office alert for southern and central England and parts of Wales runs from midnight on Thursday until Sunday. It has also issued its highest

Getty Images Most victims of burglary, robbery and theft in England and Wales are not being given the justice they deserve, the police watchdog says. Her majesty’s chief inspector of constabulary, Andy Cooke, calls current low charge rates “unacceptable and unsustainable”. Some forces tackle these crimes well – but many do not, his report says.

Getty Images All children aged one to nine and living in Greater London will be offered a polio vaccine after the virus was detected in sewage. The virus, which can cause paralysis, has been found 116 times in London’s wastewater since February. The urgent immunisation campaign will see nearly a million children offered the vaccine

Getty Images Many households are falling behind on energy payments with total debt owed three times higher than in September last year, a survey has suggested. Almost a quarter of households owe £206 on average, according to comparison site Uswitch, which surveyed 2,000. Uswitch advised people falling into debt to speak to their provider to

Getty Images Energy bills for a typical household could hit £4,266 next year, consultancy Cornwall Insight has warned. The higher estimate means the average household would be paying £355 a month, instead of £164 a month currently. Cornwall cited regulator Ofgem’s decision to change the price cap very three months instead of six and higher

Getty Images Ex-US President Donald Trump has said his Florida home has been raided by the FBI, and that agents broke open a safe. Mr Trump said in a statement that Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach was “occupied by a large group of FBI agents”. The search was reportedly connected to an investigation into Mr Trump’s

PA Media The strip-search of a black girl by police at school in east London was not an isolated case, England’s children’s commissioner has said. Dame Rachel de Souza requested Met Police data after details of the “Child Q” incident became public in March. Of the 650 strip-searches of children from 2018 to 2020, almost

Getty Images Nine in 10 NHS dental practices across the UK are not accepting new adult patients for treatment under the health service, a BBC investigation has found. Our research shows no dentists taking on adult NHS patients could be found in a third of the UK’s top-tier councils. And eight in 10 NHS practices