Category Archives: UK news

Final UK evacuation flight purely for Afghan nationals has left Kabul airport

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Chaotic airlift ends after taking around 14,000 people out of Taliban-controlled country

The final UK evacuation flight purely for Afghan nationals has left Kabul airport, ending an often chaotic process in which about 14,000 people were airlifted out of Afghanistan by British forces in less than two weeks, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

Any further flights to leave Kabul under the UK’s evacuation operation will also have UK diplomatic and military personnel onboard. It is thought any further flights would be able to transport those still needing evacuation, but would now also include personnel travelling back to the UK.

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‘I feel helpless, useless and hopeless’: diary of an Afghan evacuee

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Student, English teacher and journalist Mursal Rasa Jamili, 23, was evacuated to the UK from Kabul with her two sisters

Mursal Rasa Jamili, a 23-year-old final-year university student, English teacher and journalist in Kabul, was evacuated to the UK with her two sisters. Here she explains what happened during her last days in Afghanistan.

Sunday 22 August

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Delta variant doubles risk of hospitalisation, new study finds

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Outbreak of Delta Covid cases likely to put strain on health services in areas with low vaccination rates, experts say

The Delta variant doubles the risk of Covid hospitalisation compared with the previously dominant Alpha variant, a new study focused largely on unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people has found.

The analysis – based on data collected in England – suggests that outbreaks of the Delta variant are likely to put an additional strain on health services, particularly in places with low rates of vaccination.

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Weight loss via exercise harder for obese people, data suggests

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Research finds that when humans exercise, our bodies limit the energy used on basic metabolic functions

Losing weight through exercise appears to be more difficult for obese people, research suggests.

Initially, researchers thought that the total energy we spend in a day is the sum of energy expended due to activity (ranging from light gardening to running a marathon) and energy used for basic functioning (what keeps us ticking even when we are doing nothing, such as immune function and wound healing).

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Solicitor in court accused of injecting blood into food at London supermarkets

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Leoaai Elghareeb, 37, charged with contaminating or interfering with goods at Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s stores

A solicitor accused of using syringes to inject blood into food at three west London supermarkets has appeared in court.

Leoaai Elghareeb is charged with contaminating or interfering with goods with intent at three stores – a Tesco Express, Little Waitrose and Sainsbury’s Local – on Fulham Palace Road.

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Tom Cruise’s car stolen while filming in Birmingham

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Mission: Impossible star’s belongings reportedly missing from his BMW X7 when recovered in Smethwick

The Hollywood actor Tom Cruise’s BMW was stolen while he was filming in Birmingham.

The BMW X7 had been used to ferry around the star, who has been in the city filming scenes for the seventh instalment in the Mission: Impossible series.

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Boy, 12, makes £290,000 in non-fungible tokens with digital whale art

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Benyamin Ahmed’s Weird Whales sell in cryptocurrency and ownership is stored on blockchain

A 12-year-old boy had made about £290,000 after creating digital pictures of whales and selling tokens of their ownership which are stored on blockchain.

Benyamin Ahmed’s collection of pixelated artworks called Weird Whales went viral during the school holidays. His success may be a harbinger of the digital business models that could disrupt the banking sector.

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‘Sleep is venture capital’: employers wake up to benefits of a nap

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After lockdown some businesses understand better how flexible working hours enhance productivity

A three-hour break in the middle of the working day for a languorous lunch, followed by a restorative nap sounds like the Mediterranean dream, but employers in Spain are increasingly moving away from this rigid schedule, which for many workers feels more like a nightmare.

The merits of introducing the siesta in the UK have been hotly debated this week after the National Trust unveiled plans to move towards “Mediterranean working hours” at some sites in the south-east, to help cope with rising annual temperatures.

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What will our eco-friendly homes of the future look like?

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The planet-saving innovations available, and which are most likely to be used in UK houses

As we argue over heat pumps and electric car charging sockets here in the UK, it is undeniable that most of our homes have a long way to go to be eco-friendly.

To reach net zero, we are going to have to change how we heat our houses. The way they are built will probably have to change, too. Perhaps the ubiquitous squat brick suburban house will become a thing of the past. Hopefully so will our Victorian pipe system and, for those of us who rent, our ancient boilers which make a disturbing noise.

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Surplus pigs could end up being culled due to staff shortages, meat industry warns

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As many as 70,000 pigs that should have already been taken to slaughter are stranded on UK farms, NPA says

Britain’s pig producers are warning that healthy animals may end up being culled if the government does not take urgent action to deal with shortages of workers at abattoirs and meat-processing plants.

As many as 70,000 pigs that should have already been taken to slaughter are stranded on UK farms, according to the industry trade body the National Pig Association (NPA).

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Andrew Quilty documents 12 days of chaos in Kabul – in pictures

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The Australian photojournalist has been working in the Afghan capital as troops from the US, UK and Australia withdraw. A period culminating in two suicide bombings, which tore through crowds trying to enter Hamid Karzai international airport

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Scottish independence vote depends on sustained support, says UK minister

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Alister Jack says government could allow vote if support for referendum stays above 60% for long period

The UK government could approve a second Scottish independence referendum if support for staging one stays above 60% for a sustained period, Alister Jack, the Scotland secretary, has said.

Jack said consistent support for a fresh vote would confirm to the government that one was justified, as he signalled a further softening of the Conservatives’ previously rigid rejection of Scottish National party demands for a second referendum.

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Bank holiday weekend travel warning as fine weather forecast for UK

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Holidaymakers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland look to take advantage of late summer sun

People seeking a bank holiday getaway in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being warned to avoid major roads before 7pm as holidaymakers look to take advantage of good late summer weather forecast for much of the UK.

The RAC estimates that 16.7m leisure trips are planned between Friday and Monday, with the south-west predicted to be especially packed.

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Air pollution linked to more severe mental illness – study

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Exclusive: research finds small rise in exposure to air pollution leads to higher risk of needing treatment

Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increased severity of mental illness, according to the most comprehensive study of its kind.

The research, involving 13,000 people in London, found that a relatively small increase in exposure to nitrogen dioxide led to a 32% increase in the risk of needing community-based treatment and an 18% increase in the risk of being admitted to hospital.

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‘It’s really hit us now’: Newquay becomes England’s Covid capital

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North Cornwall town reeling and people urged not to visit as thousands of cases linked to festival

At first glance it looked like a pretty perfect day in the self-styled surfing capital of the UK. The sandy beaches were packed, the pubs, cafes and shops humming.

Look at little closer, though, and it became clear all was not quite right. A tapas bar was closed because a team member had tested positive; a surf shop shut its doors at lunchtime because of staff shortages; a scribbled note stuck on the window of a fudge shop summed up the problem – “Covid in Newquay is on the increase” – and urged customers to wear a mask and socially distance.

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Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy charged with four counts of rape

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  • France defender remanded in custody by Cheshire police
  • Mendy also charged with one count of sexual assault

Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy has been charged with four counts of rape, Cheshire Constabulary has confirmed. City have also suspended the France international pending an investigation.

In a statement, the force said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Cheshire Constabulary to charge a man in connection with allegations of sexual assault. Benjamin Mendy, aged 27, has been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

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Scottish court drops extradition case of Catalan independence campaigner

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Extradition request from Spain for Clara Ponsatí was halted after she move to Belgium

An extradition case against a Catalan academic and independence campaigner, Clara Ponsatí, has been dropped by a Scottish court after she moved to Belgium.

A sheriff in Edinburgh halted an extradition request from the Spanish government against Ponsatí, who had been elected to the European parliament in January 2020, after agreeing the court no longer had any jurisdiction in her case.

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UK to overhaul privacy rules in post-Brexit departure from GDPR

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Culture secretary says move could lead to an end to irritating cookie popups and consent requests online

Britain will attempt to move away from European data protection regulations as it overhauls its privacy rules after Brexit, the government has announced.

The freedom to chart its own course could lead to an end to irritating cookie popups and consent requests online, said the culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, as he called for rules based on “common sense, not box-ticking”.

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