6:46 am, October 8, 2021
Kwarteng to meet bosses of industries that require a lot of energy
The business secretary is due to hold talks with the representatives of energy intensive industries, such as steel and chemicals, to discuss the wholesale gas crisis.
On Thursday, Kwasi Kwarteng gave an ‘energy update’ in the form of a Twitter thread, insisting protecting consumers from rising global gas prices is ‘his top priority’. He also disclosed he would meet the Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG) on Friday, which represents companies such as manufacturers of steel, chemicals, fertilisers, paper, glass and cement.
He said: ‘The Energy Price Cap is holding back a wave of instant bill increases. It will remain in place, and at the same level, this winter.’
People urged to get flu and Covid booster vaccines to help NHS cope
The health secretary is urging people to have their flu and Covid-19 booster vaccines after experts predicted the viruses could push the health service to breaking point this winter.
The government has launched the biggest flu programme in the NHS’s history, with more than 35m people in England eligible for a free vaccine.
Covid booster jabs are also being rolled out, with around 1.7m people given these third jabs so far and around 28m people in England eligible. The Covid booster must be given no earlier than six months after a second dose of any coronavirus vaccine, according to guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
South Africa, Thailand and Mexico among 47 countries being cut from red list
A total of 47 countries including South Africa, Mexico and Thailand will be removed from England’s red list on Monday, transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced.
Travellers arriving from those destinations will no longer need to spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel at a cost of £2,285 for solo travellers.
Just seven countries will remain on the red list following the changes. They are Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
MG updates electric ZS SUV
MG has updated its ZS EV, increasing the electric car’s range while refreshing its exterior design.
The brand’s best-selling electric model gains a new 72kWh battery pack enabling a range of up to 273 miles, compared with 163 miles offered by the previous model. MG has also stated at a smaller 51kWh battery option with a 198-mile range will join the line-up next year.
The exterior of the MG ZS features a new front-end design incorporating a stamped-effect from grille which has been designed to aid with aerodynamics. The LED headlights are redesigned too, while the rear bumper has been reshaped as well. New alloy wheels are also available, a new side-opening charging port has been fitted too.
Eight areas longlisted to become next UK City of Culture
Eight areas are set to be handed £40,000 each to bid to become the UK’s next City of Culture and provide a ‘creative catalyst for change’.
Culture secretary Nadine Dorries said the focus of the competition this time around was ‘levelling up access to culture across the country’ as the longlisted entries in the race were revealed. For the first time, those on the longlist will be able to access £40,000 each to develop their full application ahead of a shortlist being announced early next year.
Some 20 areas put bids forward but only Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Bradford, Cornwall, County Durham, Derby, Southampton, Stirling and Wrexham County Borough will battle it out to become UK City of Culture 2025, taking over the accolade from Coventry.
British daily meat consumption dropped 17% in a decade, study finds
Daily meat consumption in the UK has fallen by almost a fifth over the last decade, a new study has found.
The study, published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, used data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey to assess changes in the consumption of red, white, and processed meat within the UK from 2008–09 to 2018–19.
Researchers found average daily meat consumption per capita dropped from 103.7g to 86.3g – a decrease of about 17 per cent. Red meat consumption fell by 13.7g, while processed meat consumption dropped by 7g. The study also revealed Britons were eating 3.2g more white meat per day than a decade ago.
Fuel worries and wet weather kept shoppers at home in September
Increasingly wet weather and rising concerns over fuel and supply shortages through September dampened the recovery of pandemic-hit retailers, according to new figures.
The latest monthly BRC-Sensormatic IQ footfall monitor showed that footfall across UK shopping destinations decreased by 16.8 per cent in the five weeks to October 2 against the same period in 2019, before the pandemic struck.
Bosses at the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said they believe some shoppers chose to stay at home due to weather conditions and concerns over access to fuel.
Mixed picture
A mixed picture across the country, reports BBC Weather, with cloud and outbreaks of persistent rain in Northern Ireland and Scotland, and warm spells of sunshine in England and Wales.
It’ll be much the same tonight with England and Wales seeing a dry night while in Scotland and Northern Ireland a band of heavy rain will move in from the west.
