International News

The cost of living surged by 5.1% in the 12 months to November, up from 4.2% the month before, and its highest level since September 2011. Higher transport and energy costs drove the rise, which was above forecasts of a 4.7% increase, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Its chief economist Grant Fitzner said more expensive fuel, energy, clothing and second hand cars were big factors. The cost of raw materials also rose significantly, he added. What is inflation? Inflation is t...

The government has said that all 11 countries will be removed from the UK's travel red list from 4am on Wednesday. Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe are on the list. The red list was reintroduced in late November as a precaution after the emergence of the Omicron variant. But Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it had spread so widely the rules no longer had much purpose. "Now that there is community transmi...

Commuters are set to face further travel chaos this weekend with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) due to walkout again on Friday and Saturday night. Transport chiefs have warned of a “significantly reduced service” on the Central and Victoria lines again this weekend. What dates and times are the strikes planned? RMT, which has more than 80,000 members, is to begin another overnight walkout on the lines on Friday, December 10. Strike action...

People aged 40 and over in England can now book their booster jab for three months after their second dose. The latest expansion means another seven million people can book their top-up jab amid continuing concerns over the new Omicron variant. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said the vaccine rollout was continuing "at speed" in the run-up to Christmas. The booking system will open to people a month in advance - two months (61 days) after their second dose. People in high-risk g...

Senior Downing Street staff recorded themselves joking about holding a banned Christmas party in No 10, leaked footage shows. In the video from last December obtained by ITV News, Boris Johnson's then spokesperson Allegra Stratton joked that the party was “was not socially distanced” and suggested passing it off as “a business meeting”. The footage was recorded as a rehearsal for planned televised press briefings, with mock questions posted by the prime minister...

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Growth in Britain's construction industry hit a four-month high in November, as supply-chain difficulties appeared to have passed their peak and a rise in commercial property work offset a slowdown in house-building, a survey showed on Monday. The monthly purchasing managers' data also showed an easing in inflation pressures to their lowest since April - although they are still high in outright terms. The survey largely predates the emergence of the Omicro...

The UK has approved another antibody treatment for people with Covid that cuts the risk of severe illness. It's called sotrovimab, and scientists say preliminary checks suggest it should work well even against new variants such as Omicron. The drug, given in a drip into a vein, binds to the virus to stop it from entering our cells. In a clinical trial, a single dose reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 79% in high-risk adults. It is the second drug of its kind - a mon...

According to the High Fliers report, "The Graduate Market in 2019", the median starting salary for UK graduates in 2021 is expected to be £30,000 for the fifth consecutive year. However, graduate-jobs.com estimated that the average starting salary for graduates (based on the salary details of jobs posted to the site during the same period) was £21,000 - £25,000. So why the difference? A problem with the majority of research conducted into graduate starting salaries is it usu...