Lockdown in wales will last for three more weeks at least but children could return to schools there after the february half term. Around 300,000 people are expected to leave hong kong for britain using a new visa route which opens on sunday. Investors respond with outrage after Trading Platforms halt the buying of shares in the us games firm gamestop and other companies. It follows days of frenzied trading that led to a massive increase in its value. Hello and welcome if youre watching in the uk or around the world. A new Coronavirus Vaccine has been shown to be 89. 3 effective in large scale uk trials. The novavax jab is the first to show it is effective against both the uk and South African Variants of the virus. As you can see from this graph, the uk has secured 60 million doses of the jab, which will be made in stockton on tees. The doses are expected to be delivered in the second half of this year if approved for use by regulator. Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency will mee
British ice are tax Free Allowance to invest in uk listed companies. British isa tax Free Allowance. Moving on to the uk economy. The Office For Budget Responsibility predicts uk economy will grow by 0. 8 this year and 1. 9 next year. The uks Inflation Rate is also forecast to fall below 2 target this year. But the underlying debt, excluding Bank Of England debt, is forecast to be 91. 7 of gdp this year rising to 92. 8 next year. The government also kept a freeze on alcohol duty, which had been due to end in august, which will now continue until february 2025. There will be a new tax on vaping products to start in october 2026, and the existing tax on tobacco will increase. The chancellor says is in order to maintain the financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking. 0n transport and energy, the government has frozen the fuel duty again and kept the 5p cut in fuel duty on petrol and diesel, due to end later this month for another year. A windfall tax on the profits of energy firms,
Dog, pom. Pictures here of him out with his dog, poppy, in the early hours near Downing Street. Some nice pictures. The chancellor has promised his plans will stimulate the flagging economy and help family with permanent tax breaks. Labour will argue that any reductions will still leave people worse off because of the freezing of Tax Thresholds. So what could be expected in todays budget . Ben king takes a look. The background to todays budget has been gloomy, with the economy in recession. But it looks like the chancellor will still find room to cut taxes. The conservatives are trailing labour in the polls, and looking Forjeremy Hunt to give them some cheer in places like this, winchester, a seat the Lib Dems Hope to win. So what do people here think about tax cuts . I think it would be a good idea because it gives people more money to spend on what they want to buy. Realistically, people arent going to save that much money from a tax cut, whereas more money in Public Services means B
rolled off the production line. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it s newsday. welcome to bbc news broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we start the programme for you in the middle east where the us. secretary of state antony blinken been holding discussions to resolve the escalating crisis there. he has told israel it will endanger its long term security if it abandons efforts to resolve the conflict with the palestinians. mr blinken who was speaking after talks with israeli prime minister, bejamin netanyahu said his immediate priority was to restore calm. the visit comes in the midst of a spate of violence between israelis and palestinians. the bbc s middle east correspondent, tom bateman, has more. in tom bateman, has more. jerusalem at the wreckai spreading injerusalem at the wreckage is spreading and another generation grows up in its wake. israel s new far right police minister is vowing to step up home demolitions of palestini