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ALMOST a million OAPs are reportedly refusing to pay their TV licence fee after the BBC stopped making the scheme free for people aged over 75. About 750,000 people are believed to be resisting reminders to pay the £157.50 annual fee, new figures show. The total amount of unpaid fees means the BBC could be losing out on around £118million every year. People who do not pay the TV licence risk a £1,000 fine - with jail sentences possible for those who refuse to pay the penalty. Campaigners are calling for the BBC to reinstate free TV licences for over-75s. Dennis Reed, director of pensioner campaign group Silver Voices, said OAPs have been "flooded with further reminder letters" in the past few weeks, The Sunday Mirror reports. He said: "Some had three or four letters in the last couple of weeks reminding them their licences would be cancelled. They are desperate to get people to pay. "The BBC has made a total pig’s ear of this and if they start fining and … [Read more...] about Almost a million OAPs refuse to pay TV licence fee after BBC scrapped making them free

The next phase of the COVID vaccinations will continue to prioritise people by age and not their occupation to avoid slowing the rollout down. People aged 40-49 will be the next in line to get a vaccine after all vulnerable groups and the over-50s are covered, the government said. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said this would be provide "the greatest benefit in the shortest time". It added that prioritising occupational groups such as teachers and police could make the rollout more complex and could potentially slow the programme overall, leaving some vulnerable people at higher risk for longer. Therefore, the priority ordering for phase two will be: Advertisement Everyone aged between 40 and 49 Everyone aged between 30 and 39 Everyone aged between 18-29 It will begin after all nine priority groups and the over-50s have been offered the jab. Professor Wei Shen Lim, the COVID-19 chair for JCVI, said … [Read more...] about COVID-19: No priority for teachers and police in next vaccine phase as it could slow rollout

The Queen has said that having a COVID-19 vaccine "didn't hurt at all" as she encouraged those who are hesitant about getting jabbed to "think about other people rather than themselves". Her Majesty, who never talks about her own private health matters in public, endorsed the importance of the vaccination programme during a video call to those coordinating the operations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Talking about her own experience of having the COVID jab in January, the Queen said: "Once you've had the vaccine you have a feeling of, you know, you're protected, which is I think very important. "As far as I could make out it was quite harmless. It was very quick, and I've had lots of letters from people who have been very surprised by how easy it was to get the vaccine. And the jab - it didn't hurt at all." Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Advertisement The Queen has spoken to health … [Read more...] about COVID-19: ‘Think about other people’: Queen speaks out on vaccine hesitancy

Mike Tyson has hit out at a planned miniseries about his life, accusing US streaming service Hulu of "stealing a black man's story". The former boxing heavyweight champion is not involved in the production of the eight-part miniseries titled Iron Mike, which will explore the more controversial aspects of his life, as well as his sporting career. The 54-year-old wrote on Twitter: "Really Hulu?! Stealing a black man's story during Black History Month?" The series will be directed by Craig Gillespie, who also led skating biopic I, Tonya, and actress Margot Robbie is understood to be one of the executive producers, according to Variety. Considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, Tyson became the youngest ever heavyweight champion in boxing history in 1986 at the age of 20. Advertisement However, the sportsman made headlines for all the wrong reasons in 1992 when he was convicted of rape and served three years of a six-year … [Read more...] about Iron Mike: Tyson hits out at unauthorised miniseries of his life for ‘stealing a black man’s story’

JIHADI bride Shamima Begum has lost her legal battle to return to the UK to appeal over the removal of her British citizenship. The Supreme Court today uninamously ruled in favour of the Government and said Begum cannot come back to the UK for a court case to reclaim her British passport for the safety of the public. Delivering the ruling, Lord Reed savaged a previous judgement by the Court of Appeal and said it had 'made its own assessment of the requirements of [national] security' without any 'relative evidence'. He said: "The right to a fair hearing does not trump all other considerations, such as the safety of the public. "If a vital public interest makes it impossible for a case to be fairly heard then the courts cannot ordinarily hear it." Lord Reed said her legal bid to reclaim her British citizenship should be postponed until she is no longer considered a threat to national security. He said: "The appropriate response to the problem in the present case is … [Read more...] about Shamima Begum CAN’T return to UK to reclaim British passport as Government wins Supreme Court bid against jihadi bride