The Department for Health and Social Care has confirmed a further 174 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19 as of 9am on Tuesday. The figure represents the biggest daily spike in coronavirus deaths since March 12. There had also been a further 30,838 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK. The increase...
Marks and Spencer employee stabbed 9 times by teenage gang in ‘random’ murder
Three teenage gangsters have been convicted of murdering a Marks and Spencer shop assistant in a “random” stabbing. Anthony “Lizzy” Adekola, 22, was repeatedly stabbed and killed as he walked home from a shift at the Colindale store in North London on the evening of September 5 last year. He fell to the ground as he was...
Haiti needs help, but ‘not from aid workers who never leave their SUVs’
The death toll is still rising 10 days after a catastrophic earthquake struck southern Haiti on the morning of 14 August, levelling much of Les Cayes and the surrounding region. More than 2,200 deaths have been recorded so far, while at least 30,000 families have had to abandon their homes. Many were sleeping on the streets when Tropical...
Taliban close Kabul airport road to Afghans to block their evacuation
The Taliban have moved to prevent Afghans from leaving the country by joining the US-led airlift, declaring the route to Kabul airport only open to foreigners. The Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said: “The road that ends at Kabul airport has been blocked. Foreigners can go through it but Afghans are not allowed to take the road.” The...
Boris Johnson demands Taliban guarantee of safe passage for people fleeing Afghanistan after 31 August pullout of US troops
Boris Johnson demanded a guarantee from the Taliban of safe passage for those wanting to leave Afghanistan, after US president Joe Biden resisted pressure at a virtual G7 summit to extend the deadline for the withdrawal of American troops beyond 31 August. The prime minister was speaking shortly after chairing a virtual summit of the G7 at which he and allies including Emmanuel...
It’s coming home: law gives neighbours right to retrieve lost ball in Belgium
The problem of the grumpy neighbour who refuses to return a wayward ball over a fence will be a thing of the past in Belgium. From 1 September, anyone who accidentally kicks or throws their ball into a neighbour’s garden will have the legal right to retrieve it – if they are willing to brave the...
UK house sales tumble in July after stamp duty holiday deadline
House sales tumbled by almost two-thirds in July after tens of thousands of homebuyers rushed to complete their purchases in order to beat Rishi Sunak’s end-of-June stamp duty holiday deadline. Following a record surge in activity in June, when 213,370 UK homes changed hands, transactions slumped 62% to 82,110 in July according to official data, after...
UK in Brexit climbdown as safety rule deadline extended
The government has pushed back a deadline for the launch of post-Brexit product safety standards by allowing companies to follow EU rules until 2023, in the latest climbdown amid concerns over the economy. Businesses will have an extra year to start using the new UKCA mark, which is planned to replace the EU’s CE mark...
Ryanair to stop all flights from Northern Ireland
Ryanair is to stop all flights from both Belfast international airport and Belfast City airport, in a further blow to connectivity between Northern Ireland and the rest of Europe. The airline blamed government passenger duty and the absence of any Covid recovery incentives for the two airports. “Due to the UK government’s refusal to suspend or reduce...
Ministers accused of putting staff at risk by not wearing masks in Commons
Cabinet ministers have been accused of undermining Covid advice and putting MPs’ and parliamentary staff’s safety at risk by declining to wear masks, as they packed the Commons chamber full to debate Afghanistan’s takeover by the Taliban. Just two government frontbenchers chose to wear a face covering when parliament was recalled on Wednesday – the...