Map shows parts of the UK set for a wet and windy bank holiday | X8Y054R | 2024-05-01 11:08:01
At least some parts of the country can expect a rainy weekend (Picture: North News & Pictures/WX Weather)
It's not long until the May Day bank holiday, traditionally the start of summer in the UK.
But is it actually going to be summery, or a washout?
With a few days still to go, models have been somewhat contradictory on exactly how the weather will look, but so far the indications aren't great.
At least some parts of the country can expect a rainy weekend, despite some warmer days this week.
The Met Office forecast for Friday to Sunday predicts weather will 'remain changeable with further spells of rain or showers, particularly in the south. In any drier and brighter interludes it will feel warm away from the east coast.'
There will be an 'uncertain period through the bank holiday weekend with the most likely result a warm but cloudy day Sunday with a few light showers, then increasingly cloudy with rain spreading from the west, though weakening as it does so'.
Morris dancer on the top of Eccles Pike in Derbyshire this morning (Picture: Getty)Torrential downpours on Westminster Bridge on April 19 (Picture Rex)A weather warning for thunderstorms in place todayTeeming rain in Sunderland on Sunday (Picture: North News)The village of Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire flooded on April 28 (Picture: Shutterstock)How Monday might shape up, with all areas risking rain (Picture: WX Weather)How the Met Office predicted Sunday afternoon could look (Picture: Met Office)
'Into the new week all areas are likely to see a mixture of showery periods or spells of rain.'
At the moment, there is still some uncertainty about how the weather will pan out.
The gloomier latest forecasts come days after senior meteorologist at the Met Office Amy Bokota said: 'Temperatures have been below average for the last couple of weeks, so certainly by the time we get to Wednesday, and probably into next weekend, temperatures will be warmer.
'It might not be the sort of glorious sort of heatwave that we're hoping for … but there probably will be some more pleasant and warmer weather for some people as we head towards the end of the week.'
So it's possible people might get some use out of their barbecues and garden furniture… but more likely they'll need an umbrella.
Major change to NHS prescriptions from today | X8Y054R | 2024-05-01 11:08:01
The hike from £9.65 to £9.90 per item from today has been described as a 'tax on the working poor' (Picture: PA)
Chemists have warned of a 'dark day' for patients after the cost of an NHS prescription rose to nearly £10.
The hike from £9.65 to £9.90 per item from today has been described as a 'tax on the working poor' by commentators, who warned of a rise in people declining to collect medicines due to the cost.
The 12-month NHS prescription prepayment certificate – which covers all NHS prescriptions for a set price – will increase from £111.60 to £114.50.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in England said that prescription charges should be scrapped in England.
RPS chairwoman Tase Oputu said: 'This is a dark day for patients who will now have to pay nearly £10 for each item on their prescription.
'Amid the cost-of-living crisis, the rise in prescription charges will hit working people on low incomes the hardest.
'The relentless annual increase in the prescription charge is making medicines unaffordable for many.
'This is totally unacceptable. You can, it seems, put a price on health.
The 12-month NHS prescription prepayment certificate – which covers all NHS prescriptions for a set price – will increase from £111.60 to £114.50 (Picture: Getty)
'Every day pharmacists are asked by patients who are unable to afford all the items in their prescription which ones they can 'do without'.
'No-one should face a financial barrier to getting the medicines they need to keep them well.
'Prescription charges should be scrapped in England, as they have been in the rest of the UK.'
Nick Kaye, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, said: 'To allow the prescription charge to rise to this level is a shameful neglect of working people on low fixed incomes, who are not exempt.
'Many people already choose not to collect some or all their prescription medicines because of cost, with potentially dire health consequences.
'This is a tax on the working poor that deepens the cost-of-living crisis for them.'
Prescriptions are free for certain groups of people (Picture: PA)
Who is exempt from paying for prescriptions in the UK?
Prescriptions are free for certain groups of people including children, over-60s, pregnant women, people who are on certain benefits and people with certain medical conditions.
But the Prescription Charges Coalition, an alliance of more than 50 organisations, has called for an urgent review of the prescription charges exemption list.
The coalition said the exemption list has remained relatively unchanged for the last 50 years and neglects to include many life-altering conditions such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, cystic fibrosis, HIV, and asthma.
It raised concerns that people will be forced to skip their medication because of the spiralling costs.
One patient with Parkinson's disease said her financial situation was 'dire' as a result of living with the condition.
Wendy Tombs, from Shropshire, said: 'The prescription price rise is just another nail in the coffin for people living with Parkinson's.
Commentators have warned of a rise in people declining to collect medicines due to the cost (Picture: Getty)
'The way prices keep going up, I don't know how much longer I can last.'
The 59-year-old has received a grant from charity Parkinson's UK to cover the cost of her prescription prepayment certificate.
Laura Cockram, head of campaigns at Parkinson's UK and chairwoman of the coalition, said: 'The NHS prescription charge price increase has struck fear into people living with long-term health conditions, such as Parkinson's.
'People are already struggling financially due to the cost-of-living crisis, and increasing the cost of prescriptions will result in more people missing, reducing, or delaying taking their medication, meaning their condition will deteriorate.
'There is limited financial support that charities can offer to offset Government shortcomings.
'That's why we're calling on the UK Government to freeze the charge in 2025 and commit to urgently reviewing the prescription charge exemption list.'
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A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Almost nine in 10 prescription items are available for free on the NHS in England and children, and those aged 60 and over, pregnant women, and those with medical conditions like cancer, epilepsy and diabetes remain exempt.
'This wide range of support, as well as the NHS Low Income scheme, ensures that everyone who needs a prescription can afford it.
'Where charges are in place, it is important prices are regularly updated to ensure the NHS maintains a sustainable business model and can continue to deliver excellent patient care.'
Map shows where in the US is most at risk of tornados this season | X8Y054R | 2024-05-01 11:08:01
Tornado probability estimated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration based on data from severe weather reports from 1982 to 2011 (Picture: Getty Images/Metro.co.uk graphic)
Tornadoes wrecked deadly havoc on numerous US states over the weekend and the worst may be yet to come, as twister season continues for another few months.
Powerful storms brought tornadoes to Nebraska and Iowa on Friday and Saturday, and twisters tore down towns in Oklahoma on Sunday.
A tornado is a 'narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground' that 'forms a condensation funnel made up of water droplets, dust and debris', according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL).
The US is hit by about 1,200 tornadoes annually and first began keeping a record of them in 1950.
Tornadoes struck Nebraska over the weekend (Pictures: Reuters/AP)
This year from April 26 to 28, at least 72 twisters hit the US from Nebraska to Texas.
On Friday, a tornado destroyed homes in Omaha and left 10,000 Nebraskans without power. One of the hardest hit places was Elkorn in the western area of the city, where hundreds of residences were ripped apart. Resident Kim Woods said 'the whole neighborhood just to the north of us is pretty flattened'.
Twisters descended on Oklahoma on Saturday into Sunday and killed at least four people including a child. Among the communities that were struck were Holdenville, Marietta and Sulpher, which seemed to be battered by several tornadoes overnight.
How are tornadoes categorized?
Tornadoes are categorized by strength based on the damage they inflict, which in turn helps determine their wind speed. The National Weather Service implemented the Enhanced Fujita Scale in 2007 to rate them.
Tornado damage in Sulphur, Oklahoma, on Sunday (Picture: USA Today Network)
The EF-Scale classifies tornadoes into three broad categories based on wind speeds and damage inflicted. EF0 and EF1 are 'weak' with wind speeds of 65mph to 110mph. EF2 and EF3 are 'strong' with winds speeds of 111mph to 165mph. EF4 and EF5 are 'violent' with wind speeds of 166mph to 200mph.
Where in the US is there tornado risk?
A map of tornado probabilities created by the NSSL based on data from a 30-year period of severe weather reports from 1982 to 2011 shows eight gradients of tornado risk, from dark to light.
The darkest shade of brown, representing the highest risk, is in the center of Oklahoma. A medium shade of brown for the second highest risk surrounds the dark brown and covers much of Oklahoma as well as a section of northern Texas and a sliver of Kansas.
A map of tornado probabilities based on tracking from 1982 to 2011 (Picture: NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory)
A dark red representing the third highest risk touches parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and the northwestern tip of Louisiana.
The heat map spans out to other parts of the Southwest, Mideast, with lower risk extending to the Southeast and Northeast. The West is largely untouched.
What is Tornado Alley?
'Tornado Alley' is a 'nickname invented by the media to refer to a broad area of relatively high tornado occurrence in the central United States', according to the NSSL.
Such maps may differ because twister occurrence can be measured in different ways, including all tornadoes, only violent ones, by counties, and within certain time frames.
A tornado risk index map by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Picture: Federal Emergency Management Agency)
According to the NSSL, the term tornado alley can also be misleading.
'The US tornado threat shifts from the Southeast in the cooler months of the year, toward the southern and central Plains in May and June, and the northern Plains and Midwest during early summer,' stated the agency.
'Tornadoes can occur and have been reported in all fifty states!'
When is tornado season?
The peak tornado season in the southern Plains, which include Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, runs from May into early June.
A severe tornado striking Lancaster, Nebraska (Picture: AP)
In the northern Plains and upper Midwest including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota, the season is in June and July.
Meanwhile on the Gulf Coast, tornadoes occur earlier in the spring.
The NSSL cautioned that tornadoes can happen any time of the year and in the day or night, but most commonly from 4pm to 9pm.
Local elections 2024: Mayor hopefuls battle it out in crucial final day of campaign | X8Y054R | 2024-05-01 11:08:01
The key candidates to watch tomorrow (Picture: Getty/Shutterstock)
Candidates from Kent to Cumbria are making their final preparations ahead of polling day tomorrow.
Councils, mayors and police roles across England and Wales will be on the ballot. That includes London, where Sadiq Khan is hoping to become the first mayor to be elected to three terms.
He is up against candidates including Conservative Susan Hall, Zoe Garbett of the Greens and Lib Dem Rob Blackie. So far, they have clashed on issues including crime, housing and the controversial expansion of the city's Ulez – but Mr Khan appears to have a commanding lead going into election day.
Pollsters are predicting a tough night for the Tories across the country, as voters get an early chance to show how they might vote in the general election expected later this year.
But it's also an important opportunity for people to choose who makes the decisions that affect them every day, from bin collection times to fixing potholes in the roads.
Man jailed for killing teenage wife by stabbing her in the neck | X8Y054R | 2024-05-01 11:08:01
Sahil Sharma, 24, stabbed his wife Mehak Sharma, 19, and then said 'I have killed my wife'
A man has been jailed for life after stabbing his teen wife to death at their home in south London.
Sahil Sharma, 24, stabbed Mehak Sharma, 19, in the neck in Croydon on October 29 last year before he calmly called police and said: 'I have killed my wife'.
He falsely claimed on the call that Mehak had been cheating on him and was 'responsible' for her death.
Mehak died 20 minutes after paramedics arrived as a result of knife injuries to her neck, a postmortem examination later found.
The prosecution said Sharma mentally and physically abused Mehak throughout the course of their marriage.
Mehak also called 999 on three separate occasions despite Sharma threatening to kill her mum and siblings.
Her mum read out a victim impact statement in court which said: 'The one thing I want more than anything is to have my daughter back but this is not possible.
'No amount of prayers or money or support will bring her back to me. I am broken. Sahil hasn't just murdered Mehak, I feel he has killed me as well.'
Sharma has been jailed for a minimum term of 15 years (Picture: Fisher Simon – Communication & Engagement)Mehak was stabbed to death by her husband (Picture: Met Police)
Detective Inspector Laura Semple said: 'Mehak was killed in her own home, a place where she should have felt the safest, and by the person that should have loved and protected her.
'My thoughts remain with her family and loved ones.
'This is a tragic case that has completely devastated a family. In killing his wife, Sharma has robbed her family of a loving daughter for reasons known only to himself.
'While I am aware that nothing can bring Mehak Sharma back to them, I hope that the sentencing will bring some closure to her loved ones.'
Sharma was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 15 years at Kingston Crown Court on Friday.
He previously pleaded guilty to the murder at a previous court hearing held on February 8.
Passing sentence, Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC told Sharma: 'You harassed Mehak from almost a year before her death. You subjected her to violence.
'You accused her of cheating on you. But your suspicions were the product of your own imagination. No blame or shame should be attached to Mehak.'
Putin crony 'illegally adopts' two young children from Ukraine | X8Y054R | 2024-05-01 11:08:01
One of the children was thrown out like an 'unwanted kitten' (Picture: East2West)
A scandal has deepened over a prominent pro-Putin Russian politician, 71, who 'kidnapped' two children from occupied Ukraine.
Sergey Mironov, leader of the Fair Russia party, is accused of a war crime after he and his fifth wife removed a ten-month-old girl and a two-year-old boy.
The politician 'adopted' and renamed the girl Marina Mrionova from an orphanage with his wife Irina Varlamova, 56, before changing her birth certificate to make it seem as though she was born near Moscow.
An investigation has now revealed the girl, whose real name is Margarita, has a legal Ukrainian guardian who is now living in exile from the war in Greece with the child's full sibling, an elder sister named Anna.
Ukrainian officials are demanding that the politician and his wife return the girl so she can be reunited with her blood sister.
The boy taken by the politician's wife was brought to Russia but after less than a week was rejected by Mironov and his spouse.
Anna Prokopenko (L) is the sister of Margarita Prokopenko (Picture: TSN/East2West News)
The boy, then two and now four, was thrown out like an 'unwanted kitten', according to Ukrainian TSN TV channel.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament's human rights ombudsman, said: 'Varlamova got rid of the boy when it became known that Ilya Vashchenko was diagnosed with a disease.'
Leaked Varlamova emails reveal she complained she was given a 'low quality child'.
The boy's fate is not known, but a new birth certificate was issued for him in Moscow region.
The head of the Child Protection Department of the Office of the Prosecutor General in Ukraine said: 'Specifically about Ilya, we have no information about where the boy is now.
'A fake birth certificate is the first thing they issue in Russia to make it impossible to find abducted children. The girl that Mironov and Varlamova stole received a new ID. Now, as written in the new certificate, she is not Ukrainian Margarita Prokopenko, but Marina Mironova, born in the Moscow region….
Pro-war Russian politician Sergey Mironov has been accused of the crime (Picture: East2West News)
'It seems that the kidnapper hopes that Margarita will eventually get used to both the new family and the new name, as if it's better than being a lonely orphan in an orphanage.
'But the fact is that Margarita has relatives – both a sister and a legal guardian. Nobody asked their permission when Margarita was taken out of Kherson. They are looking for the stolen girl and are ready to give her a real family.'
Lubinets said: 'We already have a family that is ready to become a new family for Margarita. Moreover, this family is raising Margarita's own sister.
'Therefore, we have all the obligations from the state to turn to mediators, as well as to the international community, so that they demand from the Russian federation the urgent return of Margarita to her sister so that the reunification of the Ukrainian family takes place.'
Anna – believed to be 11 – is being raised by her godmother Daria Repina, who is legal guardian to both girls.
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Daria said: 'When I was told that the child was alive, that she had been adopted, it was a great happiness for us.
'It means we have a chance to take her back, that she will be with us. That the children will be reunited. Because children should grow in a family, in their own family. The two of them.'
Sergey married his wife Varlamova recently (Picture: East2West News)
Mironov's loyalty and obedience to Putin has been known since he stood against the dictator in a presidential election in 2004.
He said at the time, indicating he was a sham candidate: 'We all want Vladimir Putin to be the next president.'
In Soviet times, he served in the USSR's airborne troops and later worked as a geophysicist, before entering politics.
Lawyer Maria Chashchilova said Mironov's act of 'adoption' 'is considered genocide' due to the 'forcible transfer of children from one human group to another'.
She said: 'These children often have relatives or guardians in Ukraine who have lost contact with them, and in the case of children from orphanages, the guardians are officials of these institutions.
'According to international law, the parties to the conflict must provide relatives and guardians with information about the missing and facilitate their search.'
Putin and his children's ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova have been indicted by the International Criminal Court as war criminals over the illegal human trafficking of young people from Ukraine to Russia.
Mironov hit out at 'fake hysteria unleashed by the Ukrainian special services and their Western curators' over the adoption story – but leaked documents and emails show the Ukrainian child is now 'legally' adopted by him and his wife.
Dad of movie producer Bradley Thomas' Brit wife Isabelle speaks out after hotel fall & has 'no idea why this happened' | 1NJD01J | 2024-05-01 05:08:01
THE heartbroken dad of Brit Isabelle Thomas who plunged to her death from a Los Angeles hotel said he "has no idea why this happened".
The 39-year-old mum, the wife of the Killers of the Flower Moon producer Bradley Thomas, died after she fell from the Hotel Angeleno on Monday night.
Dad of movie producer Bradley Thomas' Brit wife Isabelle speaks out after hotel fall & has 'no idea why this happened'Isabelle Thomas plunged from a hotel in Los Angeles
Dad of movie producer Bradley Thomas' Brit wife Isabelle speaks out after hotel fall & has 'no idea why this happened'Isabelle pictured with her husband, Killers of the Flower Moon producer Bradley Thomas
Dad of movie producer Bradley Thomas' Brit wife Isabelle speaks out after hotel fall & has 'no idea why this happened'The Brit fell to her death from the Hotel Angeleno in Los Angeles
Dad of movie producer Bradley Thomas' Brit wife Isabelle speaks out after hotel fall & has 'no idea why this happened'2012 Dave M. BenettIsabelle worked as a consultant and producer in the US[/caption]
The Brit socialite was found at the pool area of the hotel, where she was pronounced dead.
Isabelle's death has been confirmed as a suicide by LA County coroners – and it's understood she did not leave a note behind.
Her distraught dad, Sir Henry Lawrence, 7th Baronet of Lucknow, told The Sun of his daughter's death: "I have absolutely no idea why this happened or what was troubling her. It is so awful."
He added: "I was last in contact with her a couple of weeks ago."
Sources told TMZ the 39-year-old had fallen from a high floor.
Isabelle was the daughter of Sir Lawrence, and his ex-wife Penelope Nunan.
She was raised in the Cotswolds alongside her older brother Christopher Lawrence.
During her childhood, she attended the private King Edward's School and Prior Park College in Bath.
Her parents divorced after 14 years together in 1993.
After she finished school, she addressed the UN and The World Bank and was also appointed by the former British prime minister, David Cameron, to serve as a tech adviser.
Isabelle was also known for her love of the nightlife.
Her old social media posts show her moonlighting as a DJ and enjoying events around London.
She moved to California where she worked as a consultant and producer.
The mum was a member of The UCLA Center of Storytellers and Scholars Advisory Board.
She got married to Bradley Thomas in 2018.
The couple shares twin daughters, Poppy and Grace, while Isabelle is also a step mum to her husband's older children Lucy and Charlie.
The two were last pictured together on January 13 at the 2024 BAFTA Tea Party in Beverly Hills.
The young socialite made many famous friends throughout her DJ career including Amy Winehouse, James Blake, and Jameela Jamil.
In an Instagram post, fellow Brit Jamil, who is in a relationship with Blake, said she lost a friend very suddenly.
"My heart is completely and utterly broken and I don't think I will ever recover," she wrote.
"I missed the chance to tell her I loved her. And hold her one last time."
The tragic news comes after Bradley Thomas' Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Bradley has been one of the producers behind a number of hit films including There's Something About Mary and Dumb and Dumber.
Dad of movie producer Bradley Thomas' Brit wife Isabelle speaks out after hotel fall & has 'no idea why this happened'InstagramJameela Jamil is seen with her boyfriend James Blake at Bradley and Isabelle Thomas's wedding in Santa Monica.[/caption]
Dad of movie producer Bradley Thomas' Brit wife Isabelle speaks out after hotel fall & has 'no idea why this happened'She met a lot of celebrities through her DJ career
