A knife attacker has forced staff at a petrol station in Bristol to hide inside a safe room after getting into the shop. One person has been taken to hospital after leaving the petrol station in Hengrove Way, Avon and Somerset Police said, adding armed officers and a negotiator were at the scene. The force
UK
Growing numbers of children are at risk of being excluded and “falling off the radar” as schools return to normal following the pandemic, experts fear. Analysis of recent government data shows the problem was worsening before the pandemic but there was a lull while schools were closed because of the virus. Department of Education figures
A plan to hike National Insurance contributions will raise “enough money” to pay for reforms to the care sector in England and is “a very Conservative thing to do”, Sajid Javid has said. The health secretary told Kay Burley that while “I don’t like raising taxes”, without these changes, NHS waiting lists would have reached
People in the north of England were more likely to die from COVID-19, spent longer in lockdown, and were made poorer than the rest of the country, a new report states. The Northern Health Science Alliance – which includes universities and NHS Trusts – commissioned the study to establish the impact of the pandemic on
National Insurance contributions will rise by 1.25% to pay for the social care system in England in a bid to end the “unpredictable and catastrophic costs” faced by many. A social care package, which the prime minister has called “the biggest catch-up programme” in the NHS’s history, will be funded through a new, UK-wide 1.25%
Teachers lack the resources needed to “stamp out [the] root causes” of extremist views among children in classrooms in England, a study suggests. Staff say they are concerned about the increase in pupils looking at hateful content online and developing dangerous ideas linked to racism, homophobia and conspiracy theories. Extremism is being allowed to flourish
Some children as young as 12 should be allowed to overrule their parents on whether they have the COVID vaccine, a senior doctor has said. Dr David Strain, a clinical lead for COVID services, told Sky News he believed there were 12-year-olds “mature enough” to decide to have the coronavirus jab without the consent of
Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle has led the tributes to former bandmate Sarah Harding, who died on Sunday morning at the age of 39. Harding’s mother revealed on Instagram on Sunday that the singer passed away that day, after her “battle with cancer”. Sharing a picture of Harding laughing on Instagram, Coyle said: “I am
Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding has died aged 39, her mother has said. The singer had announced she was diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer in August 2020, saying the disease had spread to other parts of her body. On Instagram, her mother Marie wrote: “It is with deep heartbreak that today I’m sharing the news
One of Prince Charles’s closest aides has stepped down from his role following claims he offered to help secure an honour for a rich Saudi donor. Michael Fawcett, a former assistant valet to the prince, has temporarily left his job as chief executive of The Prince’s Foundation, the charity confirmed on Saturday. The Sunday Times
Two divers are missing and presumed dead after they were reported to be trapped on a wreck off the coast of Cornwall. HM Coastguard confirmed that the rescue phase of their search is over and it has now become a recovery operation. The two divers were exploring HMS Scylla, a popular diving destination near Whitsand
Coronavirus vaccines for healthy children aged between 12 and 15 are not being recommended by the government’s advisers. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has announced it is widening the limited rollout to the most at-risk children in this age bracket who have underlying health conditions – including chronic major heart, lung, kidney,
The government must immediately remove the mandatory requirement for care home staff to be vaccinated amid a workforce crisis in the sector, the UK’s largest social care union says. UNISON is calling on ministers to stop “sleepwalking into a disaster” and end the ‘no jab, no job’ rule for those in the care industry. Repealing
Racist chants were directed at England players during their 4-0 win over Hungary. Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett said he heard “sporadic monkey chants from various areas of the crowd” at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. They were “primarily towards Raheem Sterling when he touched the ball”, Dorsett added. “I have seen four separate
The education secretary has insisted children must return to a “normal pre-pandemic” experience in schools, despite the risk of an increase in COVID cases. Gavin Williamson said testing would be key to guarding against rising infection rates, but refused to outline what the government’s “contingency plan” for other potential measures might involve. Experts are predicting
Adults who are fully vaccinated are 47% less likely to have long COVID should they contract COVID-19, a new study says. The team at King’s College London analysed data from more than two million people who logged their symptoms, tests, and vaccine status on the Zoe COVID Symptom Study app between 8 December 2020 and