CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves arrived in Banff, Canada, on Monday for a two-day G7 summit with finance ministers from leading democracies. Reeves is expected to focus on the UK’s recent trade deals and economic performance.
She said, “This Government is laser-focused on delivering for the British people. That’s why in the past two weeks we have struck three major deals with the US, EU and India that will kickstart economic growth and put more money in people’s pockets as part of our Plan for Change.”
The UK recently signed agreements with the US, EU and India. The deal with the EU is expected to add nearly £9 billion to the UK economy by 2040.
The India trade agreement is projected to increase GDP by £4.8 billion and wages by £2.2 bn annually in the long run. A separate agreement with the US includes tariff cuts and protections for British businesses.
Reeves is expected to meet US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and Canadian finance minister François-Philippe Champagne during the summit. She will also hold discussions on Ukraine with Ukrainian finance minister Sergii Marchenko.
The chancellor will reiterate UK support for Ukraine and highlight the latest UK sanctions on Russia’s oil exports.
She will also outline steps taken by the UK government to reduce interest rates and provide economic stability.
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Wednesday (21) signalled he was open to reversing a widely criticised cut in winter fuel payments to the elderly, weeks after a bruising set of local election results for his Labour party.
Starmer told parliament he recognised that older people were still feeling the pressure of a cost-of-living crisis and he wanted to ensure that more pensioners become eligible for winter fuel payments.
"As the economy improves, we want to take measures that will impact on people's lives, and therefore we will look at the (winter payment) threshold, but that will have to be part of a fiscal event," he said, referring to a budget expected in October.
Starmer's Labour government announced the cut soon after taking office last July as part of wider spending reductions which it said were necessary to fix a hole in the public finances left by the previous Tory administration.
The cuts were cited as one factor in Labour losing ground to Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK party in local elections earlier this month. Reform also leads in opinion polls.
The payments, worth £200-£300, subsidise winter heating bills for millions of older people.
Offering them to more pensioners by adjusting the threshold at which people receive them will be viewed as an embarrassing U-turn for Starmer, who had refused to back down on the issue despite opposition from dozens of Labour lawmakers as well as trade unions close to the party.
Government ministers had argued that many of the fuel payments were received by wealthy people who did not need the help.
Media reports in recent weeks have said the government was considering reversing the cuts following the poor local election results.
An urgent warning has been issued across parts of the UK following a rise in sightings of adders, the country’s only native venomous snake. The public is being advised to remain alert, particularly in areas where the snakes are known to reside, including London.
The increase in sightings in 2025 has been noted in regions such as southern England, Cornwall and Wales. In response, local police forces and wildlife organisations have issued statements urging caution, especially when walking in areas with tall grass or natural habitats.
The adder, also known as the common European viper, has long been part of Britain’s wildlife and is not a new arrival. These snakes are typically elusive and tend to avoid human contact, but they are venomous and may bite if provoked or startled.
According to The Wildlife Trust, “The adder is the UK’s only venomous snake but its venom is generally of little danger to humans. An adder bite can be painful and cause inflammation, but is really only dangerous to the very young, ill or old.”
Although fatalities are extremely rare, medical attention is advised in the event of a bite. Adders are most commonly active during warmer months and are often seen basking in sunlight in open areas such as grassy fields or heathland.
Dog owners are also being urged to take precautions, as adders may pose a risk to pets. While the snakes do not typically approach animals, they may bite if surprised. It is recommended to keep dogs on a lead in areas where adders may be present and to avoid letting them roam into undergrowth or long grass.
London is not exempt from this warning. A study conducted by English Nature for the London Biodiversity Partnership’s Reptiles Species Action Plan confirmed the presence of adders within Greater London. Although the population in the capital is relatively small, sightings have been reported in woodland edges, grasslands, heathlands, and some brownfield sites—habitats where the snakes hunt their preferred rodent prey.
While it is unlikely that adders will be found in urban gardens, they may be spotted in larger parks or natural reserves. Londoners are advised to remain cautious while enjoying outdoor spaces and to avoid disturbing wildlife.
Adders can live up to 15 years and grow up to 80 centimetres in length. They are protected under UK law, making it illegal to kill, harm or sell them.
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The vaccine will be offered through local authority-commissioned sexual health services
England is set to become the first country in the world to introduce a national gonorrhoea vaccination programme, in a move hailed by health officials as a “landmark moment for sexual health”. The rollout will begin on 1 August 2025 and will use an existing meningitis B vaccine, known as 4CMenB, to help combat soaring cases of gonorrhoea and growing concerns over antibiotic resistance.
The sexually transmitted infection (STI) reached record levels in England in 2023, with more than 85,000 cases reported — the highest number since records began in 1918. Health experts have warned that strains of the bacteria responsible for gonorrhoea, neisseria gonorrhoeae, are becoming increasingly resistant to current treatments.
The 4CMenB vaccine is currently used in the NHS childhood immunisation programme to protect against meningococcal group B disease, which can lead to serious conditions such as meningitis and sepsis. It is routinely administered to babies at eight weeks, 16 weeks, and one year of age. The vaccine contains proteins from neisseria meningitidis, a bacterium closely related to the gonorrhoea-causing strain, and has shown moderate effectiveness against gonorrhoea in clinical studies.
Research conducted by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) estimates that the 4CMenB jab could provide between 32.7% and 42% protection against gonorrhoea. While it is not expected to completely prevent infection, experts say it significantly reduces the risk and offers vital protection, particularly for groups most at risk.
Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, said: “The launch of a world-first routine vaccination for gonorrhoea is a huge step forward for sexual health. It will be crucial in protecting individuals, helping to prevent the spread of infection, and reducing the rising rates of antibiotic-resistant strains of the bacteria.”
The vaccine will be offered through local authority-commissioned sexual health services, with eligible individuals identified and contacted in the coming weeks. At their appointment, patients will also be offered vaccinations for mpox (previously known as monkeypox), human papillomavirus (HPV), and hepatitis A and B.
Computer illustration of neisseria gonorrhoeaeAlamy
Gonorrhoea is currently the second most common bacterial STI in the UK. Symptoms may include green or yellow discharge from the genitals, pain while urinating, and rectal discomfort. Women may also experience lower abdominal pain or bleeding between periods. However, many people with the infection do not display any symptoms, increasing the risk of undetected transmission.
The new programme is being introduced amid warnings over rising resistance to ceftriaxone, the antibiotic most commonly used to treat gonorrhoea. In some cases, the bacteria have developed the ability to survive and multiply even after exposure to the drug. There is also growing concern about the emergence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains — those which do not respond to ceftriaxone or second-line treatments.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), 17 cases of ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea were recorded between January 2024 and March 2025, alongside nine XDR cases. This marks an increase from the five XDR cases reported between 2022 and 2023.
Dr Sema Mandal, consultant epidemiologist and deputy director at UKHSA, welcomed the vaccine rollout. “Not only will this rollout provide much-needed protection to those that need it most, but it will make the UK the first country in the world to offer this protection and a world leader in protecting people against gonorrhoea,” she said.
Health minister Ashley Dalton also urged eligible individuals to take up the offer of vaccination. “By targeting those most at risk, we can reduce transmission rates from this unpleasant disease that is becoming harder to treat and prevent thousands of cases over the next few years,” she said. “Getting vaccinated is not only about keeping yourself safe but also about helping tackle the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.”
The JCVI has previously highlighted that, unlike other infections, previous episodes of gonorrhoea offer little to no immunity against reinfection, making vaccination an important preventative step.
Richard Angell, chief executive of the sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust, called the jab a “gamechanger”, estimating that it could reduce new gonorrhoea cases by as much as 40%. He added, “This is a significant step forward in the fight against STIs and antimicrobial resistance. We encourage everyone eligible to come forward and get protected.”
NHS England is currently coordinating with local health teams to prepare for the rollout and ensure the new programme is fully operational from the start of August.
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“This book was born from the belief that no story is ever small,” she said
Banu Mushtaq has made literary history by becoming the first Kannada writer to win the International Booker Prize. The 2025 award was given for her short story collection Heart Lamp, a collaboration with translator Deepa Bhasthi, who rendered the work into English. The pair will share the £50,000 prize, which was presented at a ceremony at London’s Tate Modern on 20 May.
Published by Penguin Random House India, Heart Lamp is a collection of twelve short stories written between 1990 and 2023. It explores the lives of women in southern India, particularly in Karnataka, portraying their struggles and strength within patriarchal communities. The stories are grounded in regional oral storytelling traditions and have been praised for their wit, vividness and emotional depth.
Chair of the judging panel, Max Porter, called the book “a radical translation which ruffles language, to create new textures in a plurality of Englishes,” adding that the result is “genuinely new for English readers.”
Mushtaq, who is also known for her work as a lawyer and activist, reflected on the significance of the award during her acceptance speech. “This book was born from the belief that no story is ever small,” she said. “In a world that often tries to divide us, literature remains one of the lost sacred spaces where we can live inside each other's minds, if only for a few pages.”
Bhasthi’s translation has been praised for preserving the multilingual and musical essence of the original Kannada text. She chose to retain Kannada, Urdu and Arabic words in the English version, aiming to reflect the region’s everyday speech patterns. Speaking at a recent event at Champaca Bookstore in Bengaluru, she said, “None of us speaks ‘proper English’ in Karnataka… I wanted Indian readers to hear the deliberate Kannada hum behind it.”
In an earlier interview with The New Indian Express, Mushtaq addressed the personal dimensions of her writing. “I was asked to write about my contexts, and so I did. But at the same time, I didn’t want to be confined within the identity of the ‘Muslim woman’,” she said.
Heart Lamp is the first short story collection to win the International Booker Prize and only the second Indian title overall, following Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand, which won in 2022.
Fiammetta Rocco, Administrator of the prize, described the book as “a testament to the enduring fight for women's rights, translated with sympathy and ingenuity,” encouraging readers of all backgrounds to engage with its themes.
The 2025 shortlist featured works translated from Danish, French, Japanese and Italian. Each shortlisted book received £5,000, divided between the author and translator.
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The man stood up during a Teams call to adjust a cable behind his computer, without wearing any trousers.
A MANAGER was sacked from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) after accidentally flashing his genitals during a video call, an employment tribunal has ruled.
The digital production manager, referred to as DB in the tribunal’s ruling, was earning £58,580 a year when the incident occurred. He stood up during a Teams call to adjust a cable behind his computer, without wearing any trousers, The Telegraph reported.
The tribunal said: “During the call, after approximately three minutes 26 seconds, the claimant stood to adjust a cable behind the computer and revealed he was wearing nothing from the waist down. His genitals were visible.”
Two Capgemini consultants based in India, who were on the call, complained to the FSCS the following week. An internal investigation concluded the staffer was “inappropriately dressed” and “naked from the waist down.”
DB, born in India, in the employment tribunal’s ruling, told his line manager in an email that he did not realise his camera was on and closed his laptop when he noticed. He was dismissed in January 2024 for breaching FSCS rules requiring employees to be dressed appropriately.
He later filed a complaint for unfair dismissal and racial discrimination. The tribunal ruled the dismissal was lawful and said his discrimination claims were not well founded, The Telegraph reported.