Plus, take our quiz of the week's news
| BMX riders pedal to the medals |
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| | | Another day, another medal haul for Team GB in Tokyo. And it was the turn of BMX riders to indulge in gleeful celebrations, as Bethany Shriever took gold in the women's racing final, moments after teammate Kye Whyte had claimed silver in the men's. "Honestly, I'm in shock. To even be here is an achievement," said Essex rider Shriever, 22, who crowdfunded her way to Olympic qualification, after holding off two-time champion Mariana Pajon. Whyte, the piston-legged "Prince of Peckham" who had fought back from serious injury, looked stunned as he celebrated with family via a trackside screen. Swimmer Duncan Scott won his third medal of the Games, with silver in the men's 200m individual medley, shortly after Luke Greenbank had won bronze in the men's 200m backstroke. It took Team GB's haul in the pool to six. There was a bronze medal in the men's eight, in the final race of the rowing regatta, although it was the first time since 1980 that GB had failed to win a rowing gold. And more medals are guaranteed from the boxing ring, after light-heavyweight Ben Whittaker and welterweight Pat McCormack won their respective quarter-final bouts. Follow all the action via our Olympics live page, as the athletics gets under way in earnest. | |
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| Pregnant women urged to get jab |
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| Around 600,000 women give birth in England each year. But data suggests only a little more than 50,000 pregnant women have received one dose of a Covid vaccine in England so far. Of these, 20,648 are thought to be double-jabbed. It has prompted the chief midwife for England, Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, to write to midwives, obstetricians and GP practices, saying all healthcare professionals have "a responsibility to proactively encourage pregnant women" to get vaccinated. While uncommon, severe illness with Covid-19 is more likely in later pregnancy. In the last three months, 171 expectant mothers with Covid needed hospital care - none had been fully vaccinated. | |
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| Walking and cycling prioritised in new Highway Code |
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| It's the paper manual barely opened by many once they have finished revising stopping distances ahead of a driving test. But big changes are ahead for the Highway Code, with a new "hierarchy of road users" putting greater responsibility for road safety on more dangerous modes of transport. It means pedestrians will get greater priority over cars at junctions, with cyclists having priority when travelling straight ahead. The changes, affecting England, Scotland and Wales, are due to be published in the autumn. The government aims to sustain the increase in active travel seen during the pandemic, with an extra £338m to support walking and create more cycle lanes. Our report has the details. | |
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| | | | | The Royal Navy has been carrying out exercises with the Singaporean navy and Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has made no secret of the intention to conduct a so-called "Freedom of Navigation" exercise through the South China Sea. Contrary to a 2016 international court ruling, China claims much of that sea as its own and has been busy building artificial reefs and runways, some of them close to the territorial waters of neighbouring states. Both US and Royal Navy warships have recently challenged China's claims to sovereignty in the South China Sea by purposely sailing through it. So the question now is: will we see a close encounter similar to the one that took place in the Black Sea in June when the UK's HMS Defender, a Type 45 destroyer, was buzzed by Russian warplanes as it passed close to the disputed Crimean peninsula? | |
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| | Frank Gardner | Security Correspondent | |
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| | | | "Get the vacc or face the sack," says the Metro, which reports tech giant Google is demanding staff are fully vaccinated before returning to campuses in the US. "No jab, no job," is the Daily Mail's version, as it quotes Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab describing the approach as "smart policy". Other papers focus on the traffic-light system of requirements for travellers returning from abroad. According to the i, ministers are considering a new "amber watchlist" category of countries at risk of being switched at short notice to the red list, requiring 10 days' quarantine. Read the review. | |
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| | | Covid Call for debate as nightclubs demand proof of status on entry |
| | | | Migrants Women and babies held in shocking conditions, MPs find |
| | | | Nasa Russian module mishap destabilises International Space Station |
| | | | Johansson Actress sues Disney over streaming of Black Widow |
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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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| Enjoyed the once-in-an-Olympiad experience of watching dressage but wondering how on earth it all works? Well, Newsbeat has the answers from a young rider hoping to chase medals in Paris, in 2024. And, speaking of answers, can you get all seven correct in our quiz of the week's news? | |
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| | | 1966 England win football's World Cup, beating West Germany 4-2 at Wembley. |
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