Newspaper headlines: ‘Pound falls after Reeves tears’ and ‘Brave face’ Kate
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Worcestershire health scheme benefits 99% of participants
Health scheme boosts 99% of participants – council says. The Healthy Worcestershire programme has expanded to 30 venues. About 700 people take part each week, with 65% reporting improvements in their strength, balance and flexibility. The scheme delivers weekly group sessions, offering a “friendly and supportive space” to stay active, learn about health and wellbeing, and build connections. The programme also includes the opportunity to take part in gentle exercises such as strength and balance activities.
Image source, Worcestershire County Council Image caption, The Healthy Worcestershire programme has led to 99% of its participants leading healthier lives
2 hours ago
Nearly 100% of participants taking part in a health scheme say they now have better lifestyles, Worcestershire County Council says.
The Healthy Worcestershire programme, run by the council’s public health team, has revealed the result to mark its first anniversary.
In the last 12 months the programme has expanded to 30 venues across the county, with about 700 people taking part each week, 99% of whom say they are now leading healthier lifestyles.
Alongside that, the council said 65% of participants had reported improvements in their strength, balance and flexibility.
The scheme delivers weekly group sessions, offering a “friendly and supportive space” to stay active, learn about health and wellbeing, and build connections.
The programme also includes the opportunity to take part in gentle exercises such as strength and balance activities, helpful health talks on topics such as community safety, along with practical advice on staying safe and well.
‘It lifts your spirits’
Jenny Bruton, who attends Healthy Worcestershire sessions regularly, said: “My doctor suggested it. I was struggling a bit.
“I’ve met new people, which is very nice and I’ve enjoyed the exercises very much.
“You’re not over pushed. You can do it at your own pace and it’s super.”
Fellow participant Anne Innes said she also enjoys the social aspect of the sessions.
“I think it’s very enlivening to have around the table chat, especially if you don’t necessarily meet in groups of people that often,” she said.
“Talking to other people is very therapeutic, lifts your spirits.
“It’s a good thing for your physical wellbeing, but it’s also very good for your mental wellbeing to come out to something like this.”
Get in touch Tell us which stories we should cover in Hereford & Worcester Contact form
Airspace restrictions ahead of President Macron’s Windsor visit
Airspace restrictions ahead of president’s visit to Windsor Castle. King Charles and Queen Camilla will host the president and his wife. Thames Valley Police said it is working to ensure the state visit “passes safely with minimal disruption to the local community” Last state visit to the UK by a French president was in March 2008, when President Nicolas Sarkozy was a guest of Queen Elizabeth II.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The King was hosted by President Macron on a state visit to France in 2023
2 hours ago
Airspace over and around Windsor will be restricted ahead of a state visit by French president Emmanuel Macron next week.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will host the president and his wife Brigitte Macron at Windsor Castle from Tuesday.
Thames Valley Police (TVP) said it is working to ensure the state visit “passes safely with minimal disruption to the local community”.
On Monday and Tuesday, airspace will be restricted for aircrafts and drones over and around Windsor, except for emergencies, TVP said.
The last state visit to the UK by a French president was in March 2008, when President Nicolas Sarkozy was a guest of Queen Elizabeth II.
Ch Insp Matthew Wilkinson, of TVP’s Joint Operations Unit, said it is employing a “significant security operation” for the visit.
“As is typical for events of this scale, we are implementing a significant airspace restriction to keep the attendees and the local community safe,” he said.
“We will be using police drones and support from the National Police Air Service in the area to enforce the restricted airspace.
“This is part of our layered security plans around the visit to keep the attendees and local community safe.
“We will have resources available and tactics deployed to enforce these restrictions and deal with anybody who fails to adhere to them.
Warnings about flammable waste after bin lorry fire in Eastleigh
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service believe the blaze was caused by peroxide hair dye which overheated and ignited. The fire was extinguished quickly and nobody was hurt. The lorry was returned to the Hedge End depot where it was tipped.
Image source, Eastleigh Borough Council Image caption, The fire was extinguished quickly and nobody was hurt, Eastleigh Borough Council confirmed
Author, Curtis Lancaster Role, BBC News
2 hours ago
Residents have been warned to correctly dispose of potentially flammable waste after a fire broke out in the back of a bin lorry.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service believed the blaze, which started around 08:15 BST in Horton Heath, Eastleigh was caused by peroxide hair dye which overheated and ignited.
The fire was extinguished quickly and nobody was hurt but the lorry was returned to the Hedge End depot where it was tipped, according to Eastleigh Borough Council.
The local authority has advised people to take chemicals like peroxide to a Hazardous Waste Recycling Centre, which can be found in Netley, Segensworth, Winchester and Southampton.
Newspaper headlines: ‘Pound falls after Reeves tears’ and ‘Brave face’ Kate
‘Pound falls after Reeves’s tears’ and ‘Brave face’ Kate tells of ‘roller coaster recovery’ after cancer treatment. ‘Diddy’s court prayer’ is also featured on the Daily Mail’s front page as hip-hop mogul is cleared on three of five charges in a high-profile trial. Bumble boss Whitney Wolfe Herd says her staff are ‘freaking out’ after she laid off more than 160 staff. ‘Gen Z’s thirst gives drinks brands cause to celebrate’ as the young up their alcohol intake, says The Guardian. ‘Bomb that Israeli military reportedly used against a cafe in Gaza may be an ‘IDF war crime’ according to experts. ‘Tears and turmoil’ in The Guardian as “PM forced to defend Reeves after welfare fiasco” and ‘Reeves’s future is in doubt’ writes The i Paper after her ‘tearful PMQs’ The Daily Mail asks “what – or who – caused the tears that sparked turmoil in the markets?”.
45 minutes ago Share Save Share Save
BBC “I’m under so much pressure” headlines The Sun over a shot that many papers have used of Chancellor Rachel Reeves in tears. “Markets panic as she sobs behind PM”, it writes, adding “government in meltdown”. “Diddy’s court prayer” is also featured on its front page as it reports that hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was cleared on three of five charges in a high-profile trial.
Much of the Daily Mail’s front page is taken up by the shot of Reeves as it asks “what – or who – caused the tears that sparked turmoil in the markets?”. There are “claims of angry bust-up” with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner ahead of PMQs, it says. Sarah Vine writes, “Rachel needed a hug. Instead [Sir Keir] Starmer sucked her dry to shore up his own position”. The journalist calls the prime minister a “political vampire”.
The Times runs with the same close-up of Reeves, saying she “battles doubters after PM spooks markets”. Her show of emotion “prompted the biggest jump in Britain’s borrowing costs since Liz Truss’s premiership”, it writes. In health news, “thousands more GPs and fewer hospital consultants will be trained” as the government wants to “move healthcare closer to where people live”. The new efforts will be announced today and will “fundamentally rewire” the NHS, the PM has said.
The Daily Telegraph headlines on the drop in value of the pound following “Reeves’s tears”. One financial expert it quotes suggests more taxes are on the way. The Telegraph’s Judith Woods asks “if this was a personal matter, why did she have to sit there?” The paper also runs with the new NHS reforms on its front page, as “Starmer pins hopes on six-day ‘neighbourhood’ NHS”. Dentists will have “a new tie-in forcing them to work for the NHS for at least three years”, it reports.
It is “tears and turmoil” in The Guardian as “PM forced to defend Reeves after welfare fiasco”. The chancellor “was accused of political misjudgement for trying to force through cuts in the face of deep backbench unhappiness”. Elsewhere, a bomb that the Israeli military reportedly used against a cafe in Gaza may be an “IDF war crime” according to experts.
There has been a slump in gilts as well as the pound after the chancellor’s “tears trigger fears for fiscal vigilance” writes the Financial Times. Sir Keir “refused to say that the chancellor would remain in her post”. Elsewhere on the front page, “Gen Z’s thirst gives drinks brands cause to celebrate” as the young up their alcohol intake. And Bumble boss Whitney Wolfe Herd said her staff were “freaking out” after she laid off more than 160. The dating app said it had made some “very difficult decisions” to better position the company for “long term growth and success”.
The chancellor’s future is “in doubt” writes The i Paper after her “tearful PMQs”. No 10 later insisted Reeves was upset by a “personal matter”, it writes. Her sister, who is also an MP, “comforts her in the chamber”.
Metro also goes with Reeves crying in the Commons for its headline, but focuses on the PM with “tears & jeers for Starmer”. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said the chancellor looked “absolutely miserable”, Metro reports.
The Daily Express writes of a “day of drama” that “leaves Reeves on brink”. Sir Keir is “desperately scrambling to contain a growing crisis” after the chancellor’s tears, it writes. Also on the front, Catherine, Princess of Wales, shares her “brave face” during her “really difficult” cancer recovery.
“My roller coaster recovery” tops the Daily Mirror as the Princess of Wales tells of her difficulty to find “new normal” after cancer treatment. “Diddy guilty” reads another of the top stories, keeping the story of the end to the rapper’s trial brief.
The Daily Star’s headline reads “freak show” as the “rap star verdict” emerged. Also on its front page, another shot of “the crying chancellor”.
Borrowing costs jump and pound falls on Chancellor’s tears
Borrowing costs also soared in one of the biggest single-day moves since October 2022. Number 10 tried to quell rumours that Reeves might be replaced, though it then increased again. The reversal of welfare reforms puts an almost £5bn black hole in Reeves’s financial plans. The fact that borrowing costs remained higher imply wider concerns about the government’s Budget maths are starting to materialise. But the government said it would stick to its election pledge not to increase income tax, VAT or employees’ National Insurance Contributions.
The rise eased slightly after Number 10 tried to quell rumours that Reeves might be replaced, though it then increased again.
“The chancellor is going nowhere, she has the prime minister’s full backing”, a government spokesperson said, though Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer himself declined to give her a public show of support.
However, later on Wednesday he told BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson he worked “in lockstep” with Reeves and she was “doing an excellent job as chancellor”.
A Treasury spokesperson said the chancellor was upset due to a “personal matter”.
The reversal of welfare reforms puts an almost £5bn black hole in Reeves’s financial plans.
The rise was initially caused by the suggestion the chancellor might step down, suggesting she retains market credibility.
“The conclusion from financial market price action this afternoon is that the market actually likes Reeves, because UK borrowing costs have jumped and the pound has weakened sharply,” said Mike Riddell, fixed income portfolio manager at Fidelity International.
“Of course it may not be about Reeves specifically,” he added. “But the market is pricing in uncertainty regarding a potential change in future policy.”
The fact that borrowing costs remained higher imply wider concerns about the government’s Budget maths are starting to materialise.
Analysts at Rabobank said “investors will be asking how Reeves will balance the books”.
They added that “the prospect of more taxation does appear to be a natural conclusion ahead of the Autumn Budget”.
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said on Wednesday that the government would stick to its election pledge not to increase income tax, VAT or employees’ National Insurance Contributions.
But he conceded that there would be “financial consequences” to the decision to row back on planned cuts to disability and health-related benefits.