4 Bits Of News You Might Have Missed Due To The Queen's Death

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has occupied headlines across the country since last Thursday.

Many companies have also confirmed that they will not be going ahead with business as usual out of respect for the late Queen.

And while last week was a historic one – where the UK had a different monarch and a different prime minister by the end – that doesn’t mean the rest of the news cycle has stopped.

Here are just a handful of stories you might have missed.

1. Chris Kaba’s death

A 24-year-old man was fatally shot by police on Monday, September 5.

The number plate of the car he was driving was flagged automatically on a system for being linked to a firearms incident several days before.

Police subsequently cornered the vehicle, and a specialist firearms officer fired a singular bullet into the driver’s side of the windscreen – Kaba died shortly afterwards in hospital.

The incident is now under investigation by the police watchdog as a homicide.

Protesters took to the streets in their hundreds on Saturday to call for justice for the deceased man, with many carrying slogans saying: “Black Lives Matter.”

Kaba’s family have called for a charging decision within weeks or months.

They added: “We are worried that if Chris had not been black, he would have been arrested on Monday evening and not had his life cut short.”

2. Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Ukraine has launched a powerful counterattack in recent days, pushing back its Russian opponents from an area which is twice the size of Greater London, according to British intelligence.

Its surprising success has left Russian pundits arguing on state TV about who is to blame for this series of losses – and whether they should just push for peace negotiations now instead.

The attack has driven Russian troops out of eastern territory en masse, leaving weapons and munitions in a hasty retreat.

In retaliation, Russian troops have attacked power stations and key infrastructure across Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence claimed: “The rapid Ukrainian successes have significant implications for Russia’s overall operational design.

“The majority of the force in Ukraine is highly likely being forced to prioritise emergency defensive actions.

“The already limited trust deployed troops have in Russia’s senior military leadership is likely to deteriorate further.”

3. Recession still looms

The cost of living crisis is still a pressing concern for much of the country, despite the government’s plans to cap the energy price cap.

In August, the Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey predicted that the UK would face a recession – two consecutive quarters of negative growth – lasting more than a year, and inflation would increase to 13.3% at least, although none of this was expected to kick in until the end of the year.

But, new reports from September found that the British economy grew by less than expected in July, meaning a recession could be closer than previously predicted.

The Office for National Statistics found that the UK economy grew by only 0.2% in July, despite predictions suggesting it would reach 0.3%.

Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the Queen’s funeral could impact economic growth even further due to an additional bank holiday.

“The hospitality and tourism sector likely won’t benefit, but many businesses still will shut,” he said.

New prime minister Liz Truss has previously claimed that Britain will be able to avoid a recession.

4. Covid boosters

Those aged 65 and over in England can now book their vaccine boosters online or through the 111 helpline, as long as they had their last jab at least three months ago.

Carers and pregnant woman are also being offered the extra Covid jab ahead of winter.

Until now, only those aged 75 and over, the severely immunosuppressed and frontline workers were able to book a booster.

In the next few weeks, around 26 million people in England will become eligible for an autumn booster.

Once older, more vulnerable groups have been offered a jab, it will offered to those aged 50 and over along with those aged 5 to 49 with health conditions.

It’s part of the rollout which aims to focus on flu vaccines too.

Two vaccines have been approved for the booster programmer – Moderna and Pfizer – as they target both the original strain and the Omicron variants.

Although Covid levels have been quite low recently, and the alert level in the UK downgraded to just 2 last week, the NHS director of vaccinations and screen Steve Russell warned that “there is no room for complacency” when tackling the virus.

Level 2 alert is used when Covid is “in general circulation” but pressure on the health care system is “declining or stable”.