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The HSE is to issue advice on vaccination to groups who are most at risk from contracting monkeypox in the coming weeks, the head of Ireland’s national immunisation programmes has said. It follows on from calls made on Thursday to speed up the rollout of the smallpox vaccine to at-risk groups, after health authorities confirmed a further 12 cases of monkeypox, bringing the total cases confirmed to 97. The Irish […]

Gardeners are being encouraged to grass on their green-fingered neighbours if they spot them repeatedly breaching hosepipe bans. Rule-breakers face fines of up to £1,000 if taken to court, although water companies say they prefer “education over enforcement”. It comes as the first hosepipe bans – also known as temporary use bans (TUBs) – were introduced on Friday in parts of southern England, with further restrictions earmarked for the South […]

A man who stabbed a burglar to death after seeing him break into his home on doorbell footage has been jailed for 19 years. A jury cleared Karl Townsend, 32, of murdering Jordan Brophy, 31, outside his home in Halewood, Merseyside, on October 29 last year but found him guilty of manslaughter. Sentencing him at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, Judge Andrew Menary QC said: “Jordan Brophy was no angel, […]

The BBC should have further explored issues that were being raised about radio DJ Tim Westwood during his time at the broadcaster, a review into allegations of sexual misconduct has concluded. The broadcaster has now appointed an independent barrister to lead a broader review to “fully examine” his conduct during the two decades he spent working there. The veteran DJ, who left the BBC in 2013, stepped down from his […]

The UK is set to fall into it longest recession since the financial crisis and inflation will peak at more than 13% as gas prices soar, the Bank of England has warned. Decision makers hiked the Bank’s base interest rate to 1.75% from 1.25%, the biggest single rise since 1995, as they tried to control the runaway inflation. Consumer Prices Index inflation will hit 13.3% in October, the highest for […]

Will Mellor is the first contestant announced for Strictly Come Dancing. The actor, 46, starred as Gaz in cult Noughties sitcom Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, also landing roles in dramas Line Of Duty and Broadchurch. He joined the cast of ITV soap Coronation Street in 2021 as “out-and-out baddie” drugs lord Harvey, and also starred in Hollyoaks in the early part of his career. His […]

Premier League players will no longer take the knee ahead of every match, but remain committed to fighting racism and all forms of discrimination. The gesture, which started in June 2020 in solidarity for the Black Lives Matter campaign, will now be used in specific moments throughout the forthcoming campaign in order to “amplify the message that racism has no place in football or society”. Premier League captains agreed to […]

Senior Labour MPs have written to the chief executive of BT, urging him to intervene in a pay dispute which has sparked strikes by thousands of workers. The party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, and shadow digital, media and sport secretary Lucy Powell urged Philip Jansen to enter into negotiations with the Communication Workers Union (CWU). They said he should follow the lead of other chief executives and “take your place […]

Inspectors have boarded the first cargo ship to leave Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbour after the vessel anchored off Istanbul. Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN officials have been checking if the grain shipment is in accordance with an agreement signed last month by Moscow and Kyiv to unblock Ukraine’s agricultural exports and ease the global food crisis. The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, which the United Nations says is carrying 26,527 […]