Plus, breaking taboos around mental health
| Jabs set to be offered to 16 and 17-year-olds |
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| | | During an announcement that all of Scotland’s remaining coronavirus restrictions will end from Monday - a move which was broadly welcomed by those affected - First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also suggested vaccination policy for 16 and 17-year-olds in the UK could change. She said she was "hoping" to receive updated advice in the "next day or so" on Covid jabs for children of those ages. "We are waiting," she said, referring to the all UK governments. Following this, the BBC has since learned UK experts are set to recommend all 16 and 17-year-olds should be offered a Covid vaccination. So far children have not been offered vaccines, apart from over 12s with underlying conditions or those who live with others at high risk, as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation was assessing the benefits and risks. There’s only one vaccine – the Pfizer-BioNTech jab - that’s currently approved for use for under 18s but the committee wanted to look into rare side effects such as inflammation of heart muscles among young adults. But that said Whitehall sources say ministers in England are expected to accept the latest advice which would see about 1.4 million teenagers included in the roll-out. The government says it "will be guided by the advice" of the independent committee. Meanwhile, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth says the government must "ensure plans are in place" for this stage of rollout while "ensuring parents have all the facts and information they need". | |
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| Armed men have hijacked a ship in the Gulf of Oman ordering it to be sailed to Iran, Lloyds List Maritime Intelligence confirms. According to reports up to nine men boarded the Panama-flagged bitumen tanker on Tuesday as it approached the congested Strait of Hormuz, which a fifth of the world's maritime oil supplies pass through. This hijacking comes soon after two security guards were killed in a drone attack off Oman on an oil tanker operated by an Israeli-owned company. Iran was blamed for that attack - a claim it strongly denies – by the US, UK and Israel. Analysts say Iranian forces will again be suspected over this latest incident, with Iran's Revolutionary Guards dismissing the reports as a pretext for "hostile action" against Tehran. It is not yet clear who has seized MV Asphalt Princess but so far the White House called the reports "deeply disturbing" and the UK says it's urgently investigating. | |
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| Brown becomes GB's youngest medallist |
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| She was the youngest competitor for Team GB going into the Olympics and now skateboarder Sky Brown has become the youngest medallist of all time for Great Britain. Thirteen-year-old Brown won bronze in the women's park skateboarding final earlier. "This is incredible - it feels unreal I'm so happy to be here - I'm blessed," she says. "I was definitely bumped, I fell twice, that made the last run feel even better." Brown secured 56.47 in her final run, losing out to Japan's Sakura Yosozumi, 19, who won gold with a best score of 60.09 and compatriot Kokona Hiraki, aged 12, claimed silver with 59.04. This final is one of 17 medal winning events taking place today. Keep across what’s happening by following the Olympics Live page | |
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| | | | | When the government in England announced it was lifting nearly all remaining restrictions, it was branded a "dangerous" and "unethical" experiment by critical scientists. But now - just two weeks on from the 19 July unlocking - both infections and now hospital admissions are falling. A similar pattern is emerging elsewhere in the UK where restrictions have also been eased - albeit not quite as much as in England. Has the gamble paid off? It is important to remember that despite the warnings government modellers had always suggested this scenario was possible. The hardest thing for them to predict was people's behaviour. At the start of July the number of contacts people were having was still much lower than pre-pandemic - four a day compared with 10 previously. The scientists predicted if there was a gradual return to normal, hospital admissions would not go above 1,000 - exactly what seems to have happened. | |
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| | Nick Triggle | BBC health correspondent | |
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| | | | Covid vaccinations for all over-16s are "on the way" reports the i, which says the UK rollout will be expanded in the "near future". This story leads a few of the other papers this morning including the Daily Mail which describes the move as a “U-turn”, claiming Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to heed new scientific advice to head off an autumn surge of Covid in schools. Meanwhile according to the Metro the third wave of the virus is "in retreat" and we may be past the peak following a further fall in cases. This front page story is shared with a photograph of Team GB's Keely Hodgkinson after her silver medal win in the 800m, she "can’t believe it” says the paper. Her picture features in a number of papers, take look and read the newspaper review in full here. | |
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| | | Olympics Belarus sprinter who refused to fly home early leaves Japan |
| | | | Covid Long-lasting symptoms rare in children |
| | | | | | Scientist Barbie doll of Oxford vaccine designer created |
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| If you watch one thing today |
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| If you listen to one thing today |
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| If you read one thing today |
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| Need something different? |
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| Have you seen the TikTok version of the Olympics? There have been tours of the Athletes' Village, "A Day in the Life Of" vlogs and crowds went wild when Team GB swimmer Adam Peaty whipped out his gold medal after miming a rap. Curious about what's going on on the social media app? Find out more about #OlympicTok here. Peaty made history when he won the 100m breaststroke, also securing Britain's first gold medal of the Tokyo Games. Now meet someone else who has made history, by becoming the first person to complete the Outer Hebrides challenge. Battling seasickness James Armour swam, and ran and cycled the 191-mile (307 km) route in Scotland. And finally, it’s arrived. After blocking the Suez Canal for almost a week in March and then being held up for months in a dispute over compensation, the huge shipping container named Ever Given arrived in the UK. Take a look. | |
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| | | | 2000 Celebrations take place all over the UK to mark the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. It makes her the first member of the Royal Family to reach 100 years old. |
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