Police confirm deaths and say gunman is believed to have shot himself during the serious firearms incident
Six people, including a child, have died after a gunman repeatedly opened fire in Plymouth, police have confirmed.
The atrocity is being classed as a domestic incident and is not thought to be related to terrorism. Police believe the suspect to have shot himself.
Continue reading...The National Police Air Service south-west team has released footage of the moment a six-year-old girl was spotted by a police helicopter using an infrared camera after she had gone missing from her remote farmhouse home in north Devon. The child was found curled up asleep in the corner of a field. She had wandered more than half a mile from her home. She was checked over in hospital and reunited with her parents
Continue reading...Official records contrast with witness evidence of loneliness and physical decline among older people in Georgian society
By the time he reached his 60s Isaac Hendley could look back proudly on his life as a shoemaker in 18th century London. But when he looked forward he could only see the shame of being “passed to his parish” since his “bodily infirmities” meant the end of his independence and self-reliance.
After a year of grappling with his physical deterioration and fears that “he should come to want”, Hendley took his own life in 1797. An inquest recorded the state of his mind according to the testimonies of friends and colleagues.
Continue reading...CMA to investigate PCR tests market after concerns about vastly different prices being charged
The competition watchdog is to look into fees for the Covid-19 tests required for international travel after concerns about the vastly different prices being charged for them.
The Competition and Markets Authority will provide advice and intelligence on the market in PCR tests to the health secretary, Sajid Javid, to enable the government to act.
Continue reading...Haleema Khan told the inquest into Sudesh Amman’s death she had ‘no idea’ her son was going to strike
The mother of a terrorist killed by police after going on a stabbing rampage in south London described instantly “knowing” her son was responsible when she heard about the attack, shortly after they last spoke.
Haleema Khan said her son Sudesh Amman signed off their phone conversation with “Bye bye, I love you mummy” before going on to steal a kitchen knife from a shop and stabbing two unwitting members of the public on a Sunday afternoon in Streatham in February 2020.
Continue reading...This summer will have highest number of fledged chicks since 2002, according to Moorland Association
The endangered hen harrier is continuing its recovery from near extinction in England with this summer set to have the highest number of chicks fledging since 2002.
Of 24 successful nests producing at least 77 fledged chicks this summer, 19 were on moors managed for red grouse, according to the Moorland Association.
Continue reading...Charities warn of a public health emergency after data shows 4,561 deaths in 2020 – up 3.8% on previous year
Deaths due to drug poisoning in England and Wales have reached a record high, with a growing number of people dying after using cocaine and opiates, data shows.
Charities warned the figures showed there was a public health emergency, with the pandemic negatively affecting those with addiction problems. In 2020, 4,561 died from drug poisoning– the equivalent of 79.5 deaths per million people. This is 3.8% higher than figures for 2019 and the highest number since records began in 1993.
Continue reading...Proposals for tougher quarantine rules for some holidaymakers killed off after cabinet revolt
Boris Johnson has ditched plans for tougher quarantine restrictions for some holidaymakers after days of chaos, as it emerged the chief of the Joint Biosecurity Centre that advises on travel rules has departed the job leaving it “rudderless”.
After a revolt in the cabinet and a backlash from the travel industry, government sources said the prime minister would not be going ahead with proposals for a new “amber watchlist” to warn travellers which countries were at risk of turning red.
Cabinet sources said the plans were killed off by the Treasury and Department for Transport, as ministers grow in confidence about the drop in cases, which fell to 21,052 on Monday.
Continue reading...Owners blame ‘low consumer confidence’ and confused government messages for poor post-‘freedom day’ attendances
Nightclubs in England have seen low attendances and been forced to cancel events as the pandemic continues to disrupt the nightlife industry almost two weeks on from “freedom day”.
Many operators blamed “low consumer confidence” in the face of confusing government messages about whether it was safe to attend.
Continue reading...Unsettled weather forecast across England and Wales with ‘torrential thundery downpours’ in the east
The Met Office has issued weather and flood warnings as Storm Evert moved eastwards across Britain with thunderstorms forecast for the weekend.
Yellow wind warnings are in place for coastal areas in south-east England and East Anglia, and thunderstorm warnings for a swath of England from Nottingham to Norwich and north as far as Hull.
Continue reading...Data analysis finds large-scale cuts to youth services and increase in racial disparity 10 years on
The conditions that led to riots across England 10 years ago still exist today, experts have warned, as data analysis showed significant cuts to youth services in affected areas and an increase in racial disparity in stop and search.
On 4 August 2011, police officers shot and killed Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old mixed-race man, in Tottenham, north London. His death sparked a wave of civil unrest that started the capital and spread to other cities, causing property damage to the value of £40m a day.
Continue reading...Female duo who approach older men including in golf club car parks are believed to have struck 14 times
People in the south of England have been warned to be vigilant if wearing high-value watches or jewellery after a spate of thefts by women who approach older men.
Several expensive watches have been stolen in the car parks of golf clubs and most victims have been lone men in their 70s.
Continue reading...Ireland and Italy among those joining France in requiring vaccine passes to enter bars and restaurants
An increasing number of European governments are planning to prevent unvaccinated people from being able to attend hospitality venues such as bars and restaurants this summer, as Emmanuel Macron celebrates the fruits of the recent announcement of the policy in France.
France on Monday passed the threshold of 40 million people having received at least one vaccine dose – close to 60% of the population. Macron tweeted: “Together we will defeat the virus. We continue!”
Continue reading...Notes left on defaced Manchester mural will be removed to protect from rain, amid plans for digital exhibition
Thousands of messages left on the mural of footballer Marcus Rashford in Manchester will be removed and preserved on Friday, to protect them from forecasted rain this weekend.
A team of archivists and conservators will detach the tributes so they are preserved for future generations to mark the national moment of solidarity that followed the mural being defaced and a torrent of racist abuse was targeted at the player on social media, as well as England teammates Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho.
Continue reading...Government estimates between 3% and 12% of staff may resist getting jab – meaning they will lose their jobs
Up to 70,000 care home staff in England could leave the workforce or lose their jobs because the government is insisting they must be vaccinated against Covid, with women and ethnic minorities disproportionately affected, according to an official estimate.
In an impact statement from the government, officials believe between 3% and 12% of care home staff may still resist getting a Covid jab by the end of a 16-week grace period. The central estimate was that 40,000 could be left without jobs, but it could be as high as 70,000 or as low as 17,000.
Continue reading...Analysis: Latest Covid policy announced on what was supposed to be ‘freedom day’ likely to provoke huge anger
What was billed as “freedom day” has ended with accusations that the government has paved the way for exactly the opposite, as Boris Johnson braces for the backlash to his plans to introduce vaccine passports in a matter of months.
The documents have long been a fascination of the prime minister, who touted their use for pubs and theatres back at the start of 2021, but acknowledged the moral dilemma they posed in a country that has always prided itself on opposition to a European-style “papers, please” regime.
Continue reading...Sajid Javid accepts JCVI advice that jab should only be offered to clinically at-risk children over age of 12
Children in the UK will get a Covid vaccine only if they are over 12 and extremely vulnerable, or live with someone at risk, as scientists raised concerns about inflammation around the heart linked to the Pfizer jab.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said he accepted the advice of scientific advisers that only children over 12 with severe neuro-disabilities, Down’s syndrome, immunosuppression and multiple or severe learning disabilities should be allowed to get the Pfizer vaccine. Children over 12 who live in the same house as people who are immunosuppressed will also be eligible for jabs.
Continue reading...It is hard not to feel undermined by rising cases and the decision to relax restrictions, says this consultant
It is hard to summarise exactly why I feel so angry. While the third wave is clearly under way, things are definitely different this time around. For the equivalent case numbers, hospitalisations are far lower, and people overall are less unwell. Vaccines have made the difference.
Many of our admissions have not been vaccinated, however. Some want to achieve “natural immunity”; it is unclear whether they realise that the only way to do this is to get the disease instead. Another wants “to see some real data”, as if all the information assessed by the regulatory authorities before approval, and the clear real-world data about the reduction in cases, is somehow fabricated. Someone’s friend got some side-effects from the vaccine so she didn’t have it; guess which one of them ended up in hospital. Most of these people have the decency to look sheepish, or to describe themselves as “one of those idiots”.
Continue reading...Bira chief says guidelines fail to reflect rise in coronavirus cases, as workers fear employers won’t protect them
At a public library in London, staff members are filled with nerves about “freedom day” on 19 July. Billed as the big unlocking and an end to social distancing rules and mandatory face coverings in England, they fear for their safety as Covid cases grow daily.
“I will still be wearing a mask and so will lots of colleagues. We will still be washing and sanitising our hands and trying to keep a distance, but it is hard as a lot of people just walk straight up to you,” said Alan Wylie, a 55-year-old librarian.
Continue reading...International experts say ‘unethical experiment’ could allow vaccine-resistant variants to develop
Boris Johnson’s plan to lift virtually all of England’s pandemic restrictions on Monday is a threat to the world and provides fertile ground for the emergence of vaccine-resistant variants, international experts say.
Britain’s position as a global transport hub would mean any new variant here would rapidly spread around the world, scientists and physicians warned at an emergency summit. They also expressed grave concerns about Downing Street’s plans.
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