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Fully vaccinated travellers from the US and EU can now arrive in the UK without having to isolate.

The new rules came into effect at 4am on Monday but they have not yet been met by a reciprocal easing of restrictions for travellers from the UK.

The new rule applies to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We’re helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends in the UK.”

Previously, only travellers who received both coronavirus vaccine doses in the UK were able to enter from an amber country – the US and most of the EU – without isolating for the required 10 days.

But the isolation exemption will now cover those people vaccinated in the US and the EU.

Arrivals from France are the exception, with isolation still required regardless of vaccination status.

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US citizens must have a vaccine card, while EU citizens need the bloc’s “green pass” showing their vaccination status.

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told the PA news agency: “The significance of this decision can’t be overestimated.

“It will pump vital cash into the travel economy, and help salvage the rest of the summer.

“Inbound visitors deliver billions of pounds to the economy and they can be welcomed safely.

“It’s especially good news for our airlines who need to fill their seats across the Atlantic.”

Also on Monday, international cruises from England are allowed to resume, after a 16-month enforced break.

Most firms will not take passengers straight away due to logistical reasons, however.

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Meanwhile, there are fears that the government is considering creating an amber watchlist, which would include countries at risk of moving to the red list at short notice.

Arrivals from red list countries must spend 10 days in hotel quarantine at a cost of £1,750.

There is already a green watchlist, which includes countries on the green list that are at risk of being moved down to amber.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Shapps is against the idea and is instead pushing for travel to be opened up further.

Ministers will meet on Thursday to decide on the travel rules that will be in place for most of August.

The Department for Transport said it would not comment on “speculation” when asked about a possible amber watchlist.

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North Yorkshire: Man’s body recovered from area of flooding in Beal

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North Yorkshire: Man's body recovered from area of flooding in Beal

A man’s body has been recovered from an area of flooding in North Yorkshire, police have said, as major incidents have been declared in two counties.

The body was found near Intake Lane in Beal, close to Eggborough and Knottingley.

Police believe the man may have entered the water in the last 24 to 48 hours.

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North Yorkshire Police said: “Despite extensive enquiries, including with our colleagues in Humberside and West Yorkshire Police, we have been unable to identify him.

“He was found without any identification or personal belongings.”

The man was also described as white, in his early 50s to 60s, with light brown short hair and stubble.

He was wearing brown walking boots, blue denim jeans, a multicoloured knitted jumper and possibly a dark green waterproof coat, police added.

It comes after Leicestershire and Lincolnshire both declared a major incident in response to the extreme weather hitting the UK and Ireland.

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Leicestershire Fire and Rescue was the first emergency service in England to declare an incident and said it had received more than 200 calls since Monday morning over widespread flooding.

Crews had found cars stuck in floodwater and evacuated residents from flooded homes and rising waters, with some 17 people rescued as of 1.45pm.

The Lincolnshire Resilience Forum declared a major incident shortly after, and noted that emergency services had rescued children who were stranded at a school in Edenham.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has three yellow weather warnings – each for snow and ice – in effect throughout Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

Met Office yellow weather warnings for snow and ice on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 of January. Pic: Met Office
Image:
Pic: Met Office

A warning covering the west and north coast of Scotland – reaching into Inverness and Aberdeen – will last until midday, while an alert in effect for all of Northern Ireland will last until 11am.

The Met Office has also issued a warning covering Wales and parts of northwest England on Monday evening, moving into southwest England, the Midlands and parts of southern England in the early hours of Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a yellow weather warning for snow is in effect across the south of England – stretching from just above Truro in Cornwall to Canterbury in Kent – from 9am to midnight.

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Man charged following reports of threats towards Jess Phillips, Sky News understands

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Man charged following reports of threats towards Jess Phillips, Sky News understands

A man has been charged following reports of threats towards Labour safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, Sky News understands.

Jack Bennett, 39, has been charged with three counts of malicious communications, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

The messages were sent between April 2024 and January 2025 involving three victims, including the Birmingham Yardley MP.

It is understood the accused, from Seaton, east Devon, was charged over the weekend.

He has been bailed to appear before Exeter Magistrates’ Court on 18 February 2025.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke about a “line being crossed” regarding comments towards Ms Phillips and said that she had been receiving threats.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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HMP Wandsworth prison officer filmed having sex with inmate sentenced to 15 months

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HMP Wandsworth prison officer filmed having sex with inmate sentenced to 15 months

A prison officer who was filmed having sex with an inmate has been sentenced to 15 months in jail.

Linda De Sousa Abreu, 31, was on duty at HMP Wandsworth in London when she entered the prisoner’s cell and had sex with him on 27 June.

The encounter was filmed by another inmate and lasted for almost five minutes.

She was identified by HMP Wandsworth staff and arrested by the Metropolitan Police at Heathrow Airport after the footage went viral on social media.

The prison officer was planning to fly to Madrid and telephoned the prison as she fled to the airport to say that she was not returning to work.

De Sousa Abreu then pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office on 29 July last year.

The charge said the 31-year-old “wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder by engaging in a sexual act with a prisoner in a prison cell”.

Tetteh Turkson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, added last year that the incident was “a shocking breach of the public’s trust,” and that De Sousa Abreu “was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly thought she would avoid responsibility”.

“The CPS recognises there is no excuse for any prison officer who conducts themselves in such a manner, and we will never hesitate to prosecute those who abuse their position of power,” she added.

“After working closely with the Metropolitan Police to build the strongest possible case, De Sousa had no option but accept she was guilty. She will now rightly face the consequences of her actions.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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