United Kingdom

Foreign Minister Dr. Momen meets counterpart British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, requests resettlement of one lac Myanmar Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh Foreign Minister  Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen in a bilateral meeting with his British counterpart, Elizabeth Truss, proposed that the United Kingdom, a global leader in justice and human rights could consider resettling one lac Myanmar Rohingyas currently sheltered in Bangladesh to give them a better life and lessen the unfair Rohingya burden on Bangladesh. Secretary of State Elizabeth Truss thanked Bangladesh’s generous hosting of the Rohingyas and responded that “while the UK could look into it, the best solution to the Rohingya crisis, however, lies in their safe and sustainable return to their homeland in Myanmar”. Foreign...

  The UK is experiencing a new wave of coronavirus. A leading health expert has warned the world is "playing with fire” as a new coronavirus wave takes hold in the UK. Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead on COVID-19, has urged governments to increase surveillance and ensure sequencing is taking place so experts can use the data to protect people. She warned that the world was dismantling systems needed to end the global emergency and fight the next one. Her message was aimed at countries such as the UK which have decreased testing and removed restrictions after they moved into the living with COVID phase. The UK is currently experiencing a resurgence of the virus, with COVID cases up in all four nations. The increase is being by the Omicron s...

Claire Pulfrey found her tight budget squeezed further after the disability living allowance she receives for her youngest son was cut by £400 a month. She said they 'just about get by' Single mum Claire Pulfrey, 38, from Grimsby, Lincs, is already struggling to provide for her three sons Dan, 17, Theo, nine, and seven-year-old Samuel. The former teaching assistant at a special school found her tight budget squeezed further after the disability living allowance she receives for her youngest son was cut by £400 a month. Now she faces a hike in food and fuel bills too. She says… The last months have been really tight. Before I was able to get treats for my boys, or if they needed clothes, but now I’ve got to really budget to make the money last the whole month. Last week I got a letter...

Thousands of households could be missing out on support to ease the cost of living crisis as councils fail to pay their energy bills rebate.Brits are facing the biggest squeeze on living standards in 30 years as bills soar and inflation jumps. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a support package revealing that millions of households in the UK will receive energy bill discounts totalling £350 to help with soaring costs. There will be a repayable £200 discount on bills from October and a further £150 council tax rebate for most households in England in April, the guidance said. However, an investigation by Radio 4’s Money Box has found that many councils have failed to make the £150 payment. In addition, the wording of the payment date in the guidance has changed from in April to...

London Underground was suspended in the rush hour, although limited services returned later on a few lines. People tried to get to work on buses or in taxis but huge queues formed, forcing many to give up and go home. A strike by London Underground workers caused travel chaos on Tuesday, crippling Tube services and causing misery for commuters trying to get to work. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out for 24 hours in a bitter dispute over jobs, pensions and conditions. Road congestion around the capital was at its highest level of the year so far as some commuters attempted to drive through the capital. The disruption came on the same day as Tube and bus fares went up by an average of 4.8%. Picket lines were mounted outside Tube stations, while the union...

A quarter of people have not heard of Rishi Sunak's flagship cost-of-living policy that will hand a £200 rebate to every household in a bid to tackle the energy bill crisis. Amid soaring wholesale gas prices, Ofgem announced last week that the energy price cap will increase by 54% - meaning the average UK household's annual energy bill will rise by £693 to £1,971 on 1 April. Following the announcement, the chancellor announced that the government would be bringing in the £9.1bn "Energy Rebate Scheme" to help struggling households. The scheme is made up of two parts: Households in bands A-D will receive a £150 discount on their council tax Every household will receive a £200 interest-free repayable 'rebate' or 'discount' on their energy bills. All households will then repay th...

More than 23,000 people have signed a petition in support of a five-foot bus driver who was sacked because she could not use the wing mirrors safely. Mother-of-three Tracey Scholes, 57, was one of the first female bus drivers in Manchester and has driven buses for 34 years. But when Go North West changed the position of their buses' wing mirrors, the 57-year-old widow had to lean around a pillar to see them, meaning she could not keep her feet on the pedals. Mrs Scholes was offered a different role on the company's school buses, which had more suitable mirrors, but the change would have meant a reduction in pay and hours worked.  She turned down the offer and she was given notice. The business said they had made 'numerous proposals' to keep her in the company. After an appeal, with Mr...

The Pfizer BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in vulnerable primary school children. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) updated its advice after the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the jab for five to 11-year-olds following a robust review of safety data. In response to the Omicron variant, the committee has also advised that some older children be offered a booster dose. A low-dose version of the vaccine has been approved for those aged five to 11 who are in a clinical risk group, or who are a household contact of someone (of any age) who is immunosuppressed. They should be offered a primary course of vaccination typically two doses. It is estimated that around 330,000 children are said to fall withi...

The UK has recorded 119,789 new COVID cases in the latest 24-hour period - the highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic. A further 147 coronavirus-related deaths have also been reported. The latest daily figures compare with 106,122 cases the previous record and 140 deaths reported on Wednesday. Yesterday's 106,122 figure has since been revised up to 109,655 following previous under-reporting in Scotland due to a technical issue. Last Thursday, the UK reported 88,376 new COVID cases, and 146 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. However, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, which has been advising the government during the pandemic, has warned that COVID data over the Christmas period will be significantly disrupted. In minutes from a meeting on 20...

A top World Health Organization (WHO) official has said she is hopeful the COVID pandemic can be brought under control next year. Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, told a virtual press conference on Wednesday the world had the tools to defeat the virus if used correctly. She said giving vaccines to people who need them the most in all countries must be a priority instead of booster programmes. Dr Kerkhove added governments must also drive down transmissions or we would continue to see the virus mutate, which would bring us closer to the beginning than the end. She said: I do believe we’re still in the middle of this pandemic, unfortunately. But I completely believe we have the power to end it in 2022. WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also w...