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News Round-Up

August 4: Scottish restrictions lifted; Jabs for 16- and 17-year-olds; ‘Last chance saloon’ for summer; Honda bids goodbye to NSX

  • Here are the headlines on Wednesday, August 4
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Time 6:53 am, August 4, 2021

Covid jabs expected to be approved for 16- and 17-year-olds

The coronavirus vaccination programme looks set to be rolled out to more than a million more teenagers with new advice expected for 16- and 17-year-olds.

It is expected that ministers will today approve advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommending that healthy teenagers aged over 16 who have not yet been able to get their vaccine be offered the chance to be immunised.

Under existing guidance, young people aged 16 to 17 with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of serious Covid infection should have already been offered a jab.


CBI urges loosened travel restrictions amid ‘last chance saloon’ for summer

Business leaders have called on the government to open up travel at a faster rate, as the holiday flights industry faces a ‘last chance saloon’ for the summer season.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called for a ‘new settlement’ to help the travel industry and the UK economy more broadly ‘live with Covid’, which would mean fewer people flying into the UK would need to isolate on arrival.

John Foster, CBI policy director, said: ‘The international travel sector is in the last chance saloon for the summer season.’


Healthcare bodies demand an end to abuse of doctors and nurses by anti-vaxxers

The UK’s leading health organisations are demanding an end to the abuse endured by healthcare workers during the pandemic, and are calling on the public to join them.

Their stance was triggered by the trolling suffered by Royal College of Midwives chief executive Gill Walton following her work to convince pregnant women to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

She faced a torrent of abuse online, as did many other leading medics working to boost uptake of the jab among younger age groups.

More than half of workers feel pressured to ‘brave out’ office return – survey

With staff returning to offices in greater numbers, more than half feel under pressure to put on a brave face in front of colleagues, despite a quarter of them feeling like they aren’t coping, according to a survey.

Workers in London are suffering the most, with 40 per cent saying they feel as though their employers don’t provide enough support for their mental health.

The survey sample size wasn’t given, but around 43 per cent said they would start looking for a new job if their employers didn’t do more to support their mental wellbeing, according to online healthcare provider Lime.

Scotland to remove most Covid rules – but Sturgeon will not ‘shout freedom’

Most of Scotland’s remaining coronavirus restrictions are to be scrapped next week, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed in what she hailed as ‘perhaps the most significant date so far’ in the pandemic.

The first minister said that from August 9, Scotland would move ‘beyond Level 0’, with the removal of most restrictions being made possible thanks to the ‘steady decline in cases’ and the ‘success of vaccination’.

Most of the remaining legally imposed restrictions, including those on physical distancing and limits to the size of social gatherings, will be lifted.


BP delivers dividend hike after rebounding to profit

BP has unveiled a dividend hike and more share buybacks, with plans for further hefty investor payouts after rising oil prices saw it swing to a half-year profit.

The oil giant posted replacement cost profits of $5.7bn (£4.1bn) for six months to June 30 against losses of $18.3bn (£13.2bn) a year ago, thanks to a sharp recovery in the cost of crude.

On an underlying basis, replacement cost profits stood at $5.4bn (£3.9bn) against losses of $5.9bn (£4.2bn) a year earlier, after a better-than-expected $2.8bn (£2bn) result for the three months to the end of June.

Tuesday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed

Direct Line profits rev up as pandemic cuts car accidents

Insurer Direct Line has notched up a hike in half-year profits amid a slump in motor claims as the pandemic saw fewer drivers on the road.

Britain’s biggest motor insurer, which owns the Direct Line and Churchill brands, posted a 10.5 per cent hike in pre-tax profits to £261.3m for the six months to June 30.

It said motor claims slumped in the first quarter, with lockdowns and remote working keeping people off the roads, alongside falling new car sales and fewer new drivers entering the market.

Team GB rakes in biggest daily medal haul so far at Tokyo Olympics

Team GB has raked in its biggest medal haul for a single day at the Tokyo Olympics, with athletes bringing home eight medals on Tuesday.

Teenager Keely Hodgkinson claimed second place in the 800 metres and smashed the long-held national record while gold, silver and bronze medals were scooped across sailing, track cycling, boxing and diving events.

Hodgkinson, 19, clocked one minute 55.88 seconds to finish behind winner Athing Mu of the US – beating Kelly Holmes’ 1995 record of one minute 56.21 seconds.

Sky Brown wins bronze to become Great Britain’s youngest Olympic medallist at 13

Sky Brown has been crowned Great Britain’s youngest Olympic medallist after claiming bronze in the women’s skateboard park event at the Ariake Urban Arena in Tokyo.

After falling in her first two runs of the final, the 13-year-old nailed her last attempt with a score of 56.47 to finish behind Japanese pair Sakura Yosozumi and Kokona Hiraki.

Aged just 12, Hiraki duly eclipsed Brown to become the youngest Olympic medallist in 85 years. Favourite Misugu Okamoto fell on her final run and missed out on the podium.

July brings nine consecutive months of petrol price increases

Drivers faced continued price increases after another 3.4p and 2.7p were added to a litre of petrol and diesel respectively during July.

The month saw the largest increase in the price of unleaded since January, putting the average price of a litre of fuel at 135.13p – a price not seen since late September 2013.

A litre of diesel now costs 137.06 on average, too. Both price rises meant that last month was the most expensive July to fill up with petrol since 2013 and for diesel since 2014.

Audi RS3 sets new Nurburgring lap record for the compact class

The Audi RS3 has claimed a Nurburgring lap record for the compact class.

Times are all unofficially measured by manufacturers, but the German firm is claiming seven minutes and 40.748 seconds.

The lap time was set by Frank Stippler, a racing and development driver for Audi, beating the previous record by almost five seconds.

Honda says goodbye to the NSX with limited-edition Type S model

Honda has announced that the NSX will go out of production next year with a new, high-performance Type S model.

Limited to just 350 units, every model produced for 2022 at the firm’s Performance Manufacturing Centre in Ohio will be a Type S.

The car is currently only being teased so details are limited, but it will make its full debut at Monterey Car Week on August 12. Full story here.

FTSE rises in mixed day for European markets

The FTSE 100 ended the day up yesterday in what was an otherwise mixed day for the markets across Europe.

It closed closed 24 points higher, or 0.34 per cent, at 7,105.72.

The German Dax fell by 0.088 per cent to close at 15,555.08, while the French Cac went up by 0.72 per cent to 6,723.81.

Heavy rainfall expected across the country

Today, north-west Scotland will have spells of heavy rain, these spreading into Northern Ireland later. Elsewhere will see sunny spells and scattered sharp showers. The odd rumble of thunder may also be heard, says the BBC.

This evening, any lingering showers will tend to ease. Tonight, areas of cloud and rain will gradually build from the west, spreading across much of western Britain and Northern Ireland by dawn.

Tomorrow, heavy and persistent spells of rain and showers will continue to spread in from the west, becoming widespread across the UK during the afternoon. It’ll be a breezy day, particularly to the south.

 

Jack Williams's avatar

Jack joined the Car Dealer team in 2021 as a staff writer. He previously worked as a national newspaper journalist for BNPS Press Agency. He has provided news and motoring stories for a number of national publications including The Sun, The Times and The Daily Mirror.



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