Police carried out the largest seizure of synthtic opioids in a series of raids which lead to 11 arrests.

Around 150,000 tablets of a drug called Nitazene were found in Waltham Forest, east London, in a factory set up to make the pills, police said.

Detectives believe the drug was being sold on the dark web.

They also found various other class A and B drugs, a gun, a pill pressing machine, more than £60,000 in cash and £8,000 in cryptocurrency stored on hard drives.

A series of raids were carried out in Enfield, north London, on October 24.

Some 11 people were arrested between August 21 and November 21 and all charged with conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs.

Detective Superintendent Helen Rance, leading the investigation, said: ‘Synthetic opioids have been detected in batches of heroin found in London and across the UK.

‘They substantially raise the risk of incredibly serious harm to the user and are believed to be linked to a number of deaths.

‘We are working closely with partners to monitor and proactively tackle this issue, provide advice and remove the availability of these dangerous drugs from our streets.’

Police say anyone who has taken synthetic opioids should get medical treatment urgently.

They have taken the unusual step of highlighting signs of someone who may have taken one of these drug.

These include having small, narrowed pupils; reduced or loss of consciousness; dizziness or drowsiness; difficulty breathing; nausea or vomiting; cold or clammy skin; blue or grey lips and fingernails; low blood pressure or decreased heart rate.

Ms Rance added: ‘The public health advice remains that illegal drugs should not be consumed.

‘There are support services available for people who need help. Anyone who has consumed synthetic opioids and experiences the symptoms described should seek urgent medical treatment.’

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Saffron Cassidy suffered from ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, for 15 years before she allegedly cured it using her partner’s poop.

‘It’s been about three and a half years of having no symptoms whatsoever,’ she told Yahoo Life. ‘And my colonoscopies show complete histologic remission.’

Now Cassidy has become an evangelist for the procedure known as faecal microbiota transplants (FMT). She has even made a documentary, Designer Shit: A Microbiome Love Story.

There are restrictions on the conditions doctors can treat using FMT, but a growing body of published work on FMTs holds promise for a range of disorders.

This has triggered several social media videos on how people can generate their own FMT products and administer the treatment in their own homes. However, this DIY approach carries significant risks.

FMT is the process of taking the faeces of an apparently healthy person and transplanting them into the intestines of a recipient in the belief that repopulating the natural microbial ecosystem of a patient with that of another may help alleviate certain medical problems.

Although rooted in ancient Chinese medicine, modern FMT requires further scientific research to understand the mechanism of action and, more importantly, how to ensure the treatment is performed safely without risking introducing additional health issues to the recipient.

Over the last couple of decades, research into the human gut microbiome has given strong indications that the community of bacteria in our intestines are inextricably linked to both good health and poor health.

In the latter category, our microbiome has been linked with obesity, inflammatory bowel diseases, multiple sclerosis, depression, anxiety, autoimmune disease, sleep disorders, brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, and many more.

So before any FMT treatments can take place, the prospective donors undergo strict screening of their faeces and blood for potentially harmful bacteria or viruses that may further harm the patient – both immediately and in the long run. DIY FMT does not have these safeguards.

DIY approach lacks safeguards

In cases of DIY faecal transplants, the sufferers will often take poo samples from partners, family members, or close friends in the belief that they are healthy. But they will be unaware of any hidden factors that could cause further complications.

Unfortunately, these DIY ‘success stories’ may lead to more people believing that they may be cured of afflictions through repeating the process, but there is no guarantee of success – and a very real threat of complications in later years.

How many of us would dream of buying raw materials and taking the risk of trying to make our own medicines at home? Perhaps it is the familiarity of faeces that makes people see it differently from traditional medicine.

It is unlikely that anyone would take the risk of picking a tablet at random from an unmarked box in the hope that it may cure them of a health problem. Yet using unscreened faeces for an FMT procedure is in essence just that.

Scientists are working hard alongside doctors to understand what is needed to be able to provide FMT for a wide range of potential treatments and getting closer every year to reaching this goal.

In the meantime, reports of DIY FMT are likely to increase as success stories are reported in the media. But the final message should always be clear – that doing so is gambling with your health.

By Lee Kellingray, researcher, Translational Microbiome, Quadram Institute

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article

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Martin Lewis has said 20 million households will pay more for their energy bills this January than any winter before.

The energy price cap will increase by 5% in January which means energy bills will be more expensive for households in England, Scotland and Wales, according to Mr Lewis.

It will come as a worry for Brits up and down the UK who are still struggling with the cost of living crisis.

He tweeted: ‘Energy price cap is UP 5% ON 1 Jan (so every £100 you pay now will be £105 then) making energy more expensive for 20m+ homes in Eng, scot and wales.’

Mr Lewis went on to say that households will pay more this year because last winter every home got a £66 monthly government reduction.

While inflation dropped this October, this ignores the missing government support which means in reality people will pay more for their energy bills, according to Mr Lewis.

He continued: ‘In other words a typical home pays £28/mth more this winter, or factor in seasonal adjustments due to high winter use and as a back of envelope calculation it is more like £45more.’

The average household energy bill will rise by £94 a year from January after Ofgem increased its price cap in response to rising wholesale prices.

Ofgem announced its latest price cap this morning alongside energy consultancy Cornwall Insight.

They have predicted it will increase from the current £1,834 for a typical dual fuel household to £1,931, a 5% jump to take effect from January 1.

It suggests the typical bill will then fall to £1,853 from the start of April, but will not drop below today’s level until July next year.

But in better news Cornwall Insight said recent mild weather was helping to bring down gas prices which could help reduce bills next year.

Dr Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said: ‘An unstable wholesale energy market, coupled with the UK’s reliance on energy imports, makes it inevitable that energy bills will rise from current levels.

‘This leaves households facing yet another winter with bills hundreds of pounds higher than pre-pandemic levels, and affordable fixed deals few and far between.’

During yesterday’s autumn statement there was no mention of any further help to offset household energy bills.

Adam Scorer, chief executive of fuel poverty charity National Energy Action, said: ‘The gaps in this autumn statement are devastating, especially for the poorest households.

‘An ‘average household’ is now paying £800 more per year to heat and power their homes since the start of the energy crisis.

‘With a VAT windfall from higher energy bills and underspent money that was allocated to help vulnerable people keep warm last year, it is clear that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt had the headroom in the finances to act, but he has done nothing to help the most vulnerable people keep warm and safe at home.’

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Nigel Farage refused to rule out making a bid for the top job in government when asked by I’m A Celebrity campmates.

The former leader of the Ukip Party, 59, was quizzed on whether he would ever consider becoming prime minister.

He also called Boris Johnson ‘the most chaotic person he has ever met’.

Radio presenter and Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson asked Nigel: ‘Who’s your favourite prime minister, ever, in your lifetime?’

Nigel replied: ‘Really, in my lifetime, two prime ministers who’ve been really strong, who have changed the country – one’s Thatcher and one’s Blair.

‘I didn’t like the way Blair changed the country at all, but I have to admit he was a strong leader. And Margaret was a very strong leader – they were tough times. But she changed the country completely. Completely.’

EastEnders actor Danielle Harold then asked: ‘Would you ever want to run?’

Nigel said: ‘I dunno – we’ll see. Depends how much mess the country gets in. I honestly don’t know, I mean it’s not an easy job.’

‘As for little me, there’s a lot of speculation. After they lose the next election, oh, maybe Nigel becomes leader of the Tory Party one day.

Speaking to the camera afterwards, Nigel said: ‘So, there’s a lot of chatter about it, whether it’s going to happen I have no idea.

‘The important thing though is to say this: never say never.’

His appearance on the reality television programme as a ‘GB News host and ex-politician’ has led viewers to question whether Nigel is attempting to relaunch his political career.

It comes after he claimed he could be Conservative Party leader ‘by 2026’ after attending this year’s Tory conference.

The Kent resident has already been involved in a few clashes in Australia after YouTuber Nella Rose challenged his views over immigration.

First Dates star Fred Sirieix also lost his cool with Nigel this week. The French dad-of-two called him ‘shameful’ following a discussion about Brexit.

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A vehicle crashed through a brick bridge in south London today, upending morning commutes for countless travellers.

Railway lines running through between Sutton (Surrey) and West Croydon are cancelled while engineers remove fallen debris, Network Rail Kent and Sussex said on X.

Photographs uploaded by the operator show chunks of brick lying on the tracks.

‘Please continue checking before you travel,’ Network Rail added.

Southern said no trains are able to run between the two stations ‘until further notice’ and called on riders to give themselves an extra hour to get to their destiation.

Rail replacement bus services are in place between Epson Downs and Sutton calling at Banstead and Belmont.

The Transport for London (TfL) status update website says: ‘No service between Sydenham and West Croydon due to a vehicle striking a bridge in West Croydon area.

‘Good service on the rest of the route. Good service on all other London Overground routes.’

TfL, Southern, the British Transport Police and London Ambulance Service have been contacted for comment.

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A 10-year old boy with severe asthma faced neglect and multiple failings in his medical care, an inquest has concluded.

Essex area coroner Sonia Hayes said the death of William Gray, from Southend, was avoidable, the law firm that represented his family said.

William survived a near-fatal asthma attack on October 27, 2020, but he was discharged just four hours later without the severity being properly recorded.

He died seven months later, on May 29, 2021, after going into cardiac arrest caused by a respiratory arrest resulting from his asthma.

A 10-day inquest in Chelmsford, which concluded on Wednesday, identified a string of failings in his care that amounted to neglect.

In addition to his swift discharge, concerns were also raised about his GP surgery’s failure to conduct annual asthma reviews and carry out medication reviews.

The coroner also found there was a lack of sufficiently trained asthma nurses, and that they did not follow British Thoracic Guidelines.

Phone calls with nurses ‘lasted a matter of minutes, were not meaningful and did not ask the most rudimentary questions’, the law firm said.

On the night of William’s death, his mother Christine Hui made two 999 calls.

Law firm Leigh Day said the coroner found that at the time of the first call, it was likely that William was having a severe asthma attack, and a category one ambulance should have been dispatched.

The law firm said that the coroner found that when paramedics arrived on scene adrenaline was not administered and, ‘on the balance of probabilities, this would have affected the outcome in this case.’

Ms Hui described her son as a ‘funny, caring little boy who liked to make jokes and had a heart of gold’.

She said: ‘He was adored by his friends. He had dreams of working in medicine as a doctor or a paramedic because he saw the care he was given, and he wanted to do that for others.

‘Today is bittersweet because, while the coroner’s conclusion gives us some closure, this is the final stage in saying goodbye to our son, brother, grandson, great-grandson, nephew and friend.

‘We believed that William’s asthma was controlled but now we know that wasn’t the case. Parents know their children best and should trust their instincts.

‘If you feel something isn’t right, question it.

‘There is nothing that can take away the grief our family feels but it is our hope that another family will hear our story and it could prevent a further tragedy.’

Julie Struthers, who represented William’s family, said there were a ‘substantial number of failures by multiple healthcare professionals in his care’, and the case showed the ‘importance of improving asthma treatment for children nationwide’.

Diane Sarkar, chief nursing and quality officer for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust which runs Southend Hospital, said that ‘our heartfelt condolences go out to William’s family’.

She said: ‘We’d like to assure them that we are committed to learning from this terrible loss and that since his death in 2021 we have brought in numerous changes to improve patient care as a direct result of learning from William’s case.’

Melissa Dowdeswell, chief of clinical operations at the East of England Ambulance Service, said: ‘Our heartfelt condolences go out to William’s family and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.

‘We accept the coroner’s findings and will assess what further actions need to be taken once we have reviewed them.

‘Since this tragic case we have significantly increased the numbers of staff able to perform intubation and these numbers continue to rise with an expansion of advanced paramedics within the trust.’

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The average household energy bill will rise by £94 a year from January after Ofgem increased its price cap in response to rising wholesale prices.

The regulator announced it is raising its price cap from the current £1,834 for a typical dual fuel household to £1,928 from January 1, driven almost entirely by rising costs in the international wholesale energy market due to market instability and global events, particularly the conflict in Ukraine.

Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said: ‘This is a difficult time for many people, and any increase in bills will be worrying.

‘But this rise – around the levels we saw in August – is a result of the wholesale cost of gas and electricity rising, which needs to be reflected in the price that we all pay.

‘It is important that customers are supported and we have made clear to suppliers that we expect them to identify and offer help to those who are struggling with bills.

‘We are also seeing the return of choice to the market, which is a positive sign and customers could benefit from shopping around, with a range of tariffs now available offering the security of a fixed rate or a more flexible deal that tracks below the price cap.

‘People should weigh up all the information, seek independent advice from trusted sources and consider what is most important for them, whether that’s the lowest price or the security of a fixed deal.’

Meanwhile, the public has placed the blame for the rising prices firmly at the door of the Government.

Polling conducted prior to the Autumn Statement for the Warm This Winter campaign found that well over a third of the public (37%) already attributed significant responsibility for the energy bills crisis to Government policy. 

Hardly any respondents (3%) said that Government policy bore no responsibility for high energy bills.

Fi Waters, spokesperson for the Warm This Winter campaign, commented: ‘We’re devastated that the emergency energy tariff that would give hard-pressed families money off their monthly bills has not been adopted by the Chancellor in the Autumn Statement, but we’ve not given up. 

‘The Government should be putting the vulnerable, disabled people, the elderly, those with medical conditions and the pregnant first rather than condemning them to living in cold damp homes.’

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented: ‘These price hikes come at the worst possible time for households. Bills will go up just as winter bites hard and household finances are hit further by Christmas credit cards, the long January pay period and the ongoing wider cost of living crisis.

‘We warned Ofgem that a January price cap rise was a bad idea when the regulator consulted on this in 2022. Now the chilling effect of the change is being realised, the inhumanity of this policy is clear to see.

‘It will be anything but a happy new year for people trapped in Britain’s broken energy system.’

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Those of us who have been resisting the call of central heating will soon be facing another challenge as temperatures are set to drop below freezing.

The UK is set to be hit with its first set of wintry showers, including sleet and snow, with temperatures expected to drop below freezing.

The Met Office says an Arctic air blast is set to sweep the country, with temperatures dropping significantly on Friday.

Meteorologist Aidan McGivern told LBC: ‘By the end of the week we are going to see cold winds arrive from the north.

‘It’s going to feel colder this week and there will be some snow showers over, mainly, hills of northern Scotland.

‘But elsewhere, with high pressure in place, it is going to be mostly dry on Friday and into the start of the weekend.

‘Although those showers will be falling as sleet and snow over the hills of northern Scotland, perhaps to lower levels in the far north, for the vast majority despite the chill in the air, it’s a dry, it’s a bright day.

‘As we head into the weekend it is a continuation of that theme.

‘Those showers falling as snow mostly over northern hills, but widespread snow very unlikely, and for the vast majority it’s just dry, crisp, bright autumn weather.

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A mother-of-three was discovered stabbed to death inside an apartment ravaged by a fire that killed one of her children.

Firefighters responded to the fire early Tuesday at the Countryside Apartments and were faced with ‘heavy smoke and flames upon arrival’, according to the Daytona Beach Fire Department.

They found the deceased mom and rushed her three kids to a hospital in critical condition.

The youngest child, an infant, was found in a crib close to the mother and died. The two other kids, aged 4 and 5, survived but the nature of their injuries and conditions were not immediately known.

‘This is a horrific incident two days out from a holiday that centers around family,’ Daytona Beach police Chief Jakari Young said at the scene.

The mother’s identity has not been released, pending notification to her family.

Cops are investigating the fire that started around midnight as a homicide because it had two points of origin in the home, said Daytona Beach Fire Department Lt Antwan Lewis.

State investigators suspect the blaze was set off intentionally, WKMG reported.

No suspect has been named.

A police officer received treatment for smoke inhalation.

‘I’m very proud of all the officers that initially responded, as well as fire and medical personnel,’ said Young. ‘If it wasn’t for their actions, there probably would have been more lives lost.’

It was not clear if other units at the apartment complex at 1200 Beville Road were damaged.

The deadly blaze in Florida happened a few months after a landlord in Brooklyn, New York, allegedly set fire to an apartment because the tenants stopped paying rent. The parents tossed four of their children to neighbors on the ground to save them. Firefighters rescued the two other children from the building. The landlord, Rafiqul Islam, 66, was charged with eight counts of attempted murder, assault and arson earlier this month.

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Wild ‘super pigs’ that can eat anything, tear up land and spread devastating diseases are multiplying in Canada and threaten to cross into and wreak havoc in the US.

The pigs, often crossbreeds adept at surviving like wild Eurasian boar and very fertile like domestic swine, have reproduced in high numbers in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The furry pigs, which can carry African swine fever, eat both wildlife and crops and are smart enough to survive brutal Canadian winters.

They are ‘the most invasive animal on the planet’ and an ‘ecological train wreck’, according to University of Saskatchewan professor Ryan Brook.

The uncontrollable population of feral pigs threaten to cross the border into northern US states including Minnesota, Montana and North Dakota.

‘Nobody should be surprised when pigs start walking across that border if they haven’t already,’ said Brook. ‘The question is: What will be done about it?’

The super pigs are difficult to eradicate because each sow can have six piglets per litter and two litters every year, meaning their population can grow even if more than 65% are killed off annually.

Hunting them exacerbates the problem because there is only a 2% to 3% rate of shooting them down and the pigs have reacted by becoming more nocturnal and harder to track, Brook said.

They have become impossible to eradicate in Canada, where Brook has documented 62,000 sightings. To prevent their invasion and takeover in the US, states must detect the swine early and act fast.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is watching the border for swine using drones and aircraft.

In 2016, USDA Wildlife Services killed off a group of pigs that escaped from a farm in Minnesota and became feral and destroyed a wildlife preserve. The state’s director of Wildlife Services, Gary Nohrenberg, said no more super pigs have been spotted to his knowledge.

Feral pigs cause an estimated $2.5billion in damage to American crops annually and have attacked humans, including one fatal incident with a Texas woman in 2019.

They have been reported in at least 35 states and have a combined population of roughly six million.

The USDA launched the National Feral Swine Management Program in 2014 and has provided funds to 33 states to try to eradicate the wild swine, said the assistant director Mike Marlow.

It has had some success with small feral pig populations in New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. But ‘eradication is not in the near future’, Marlow said.

Americans ‘have to be really aggressive and you have to use all the tools in the toolbox’, Brook said.

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Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam has revealed he received ‘extremely hateful messages’ he received during the pandemic, including a threat to his family about ‘having their throats cut’.

He said the hate mail, which led to the police getting involved, made him consider stepping down from his role as England’s deputy chief medical officer during the height of Coronavirus.

Sir Jonathan, who left his post at the end of March last year, told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Wednesday that while his job involved huge workloads and stress, he did not expect his family to be threatened.

Sir Jonathan said: ‘I did not expect the police to have to say: “Will you move out in the middle of the night or in the middle of the evening, whether you might move out for a few days, while we look at this and potentially make some arrests?”‘

He said his family did not make the move in the end because ‘we didn’t want to leave the cat’ but described the situation as stressful.

He added: ‘I make this point because I’m so worried that if there’s a future crisis, people will not want to sign up for these roles and these jobs, because of the implications that come with them.’

Sir Jonathan also spoke about this workload during the early days of the pandemic, saying: ‘At the beginning it certainly was in the kind of 16 hours a day mark and it certainly was seven days a week. It was very, very intense.’

Earlier this year, Sir Chris Whitty also spoke about the abuse experienced by scientists who were involved in the response to the Covid-19 outbreak, describing it as ‘extremely concerning’.

England’s chief medical officer told the inquiry back in June: ‘I do think that what occurred during Covid where the level of abuse and, in some cases, threat to people who volunteer their time, is an extremely concerning one.

‘We should be very firm in saying that society very much appreciates the work of these people, who put in considerable amounts of time, usually for no recompense.’

Last year a man was jailed for eight weeks after he admitted intending to cause Sir Chris distress when he approached him in June last year.

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Eerie ‘ghost marks’ have appeared on the walls of Elizabeth Line tube stations – left by previous commuters.

Photos at Tottenham Court Road on London’s newest line show grey outlines of people left by travellers sitting on benches.

The marks also appear at Liverpool Street, with the station’s white walls appearing to be stained by commuters’ coats and heads.

While eerie, they seem have formed from passengers leaning back on the freshly painted walls – not by spirits.

Transport for London, who operates the line, say that they maintain a ‘rigorous’ cleaning programme at all stations to ensure they are safe for commuters.

A spokesperson for the TfL said: ‘We are exploring new ways to clean the walls behind seating at some of our Elizabeth line stations to try to remove any marks and protect the walls in future.’

The Elizabeth Line, named after the late Queen Elizabeth II, opened on May 24, 2022 – 13 years after construction on the line began in 2009.

The 41-stop route now hosts 204 million passenger journeys per year, costing the Government around £18.9 billion.

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President John F Kennedy’s nephew Robert F Kennedy Jr is petitioning for the release of the final sealed records on the 60th anniversary of his uncle’s assassination.

RFK Jr, a longshot 2024 presidential candidate, posted a petition titled Release The JFK Documents on his campaign website. It states that the 1992 President John F Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act mandated the release of all records linked to JFK’s assassination by 2017.

As of Wednesday – which marks six decades since JFK was fatally shot while riding in a motorcade through downtown Dallas – hundreds of government documents are still under wraps.

‘Trump refused to do it. Biden refused to do it. What is so embarrassing that they’re afraid to show the American public 60 years later?’ states the petition.

‘Trust in government is at an all-time low. Releasing the full, unredacted historical records will help to restore that trust.

‘In the spirit of transparency, in the spirit of democracy, we, the undersigned, call upon President Biden to obey the 1992 act and release the Kennedy assassination documents to the public.’

The online petition had more than 20,000 signatures by Wednesday and dozens of people continued to sign it throughout the day.

Former US Marine Lee Harvey Oswald, the prime suspect in JFK’s assassination, was shot dead two days later at a Dallas nightclub.

But a Gallup poll released last week showed that 65% of Americans believe Oswald was not the only actor in the assassination and that others were ‘involved in a conspiracy’.

The 1992 records act signed by President George HW Bush instructed the National Archives to collect records on the assassination and set up a review board to analyze and release them.

President Donald Trump saw through the release of about 53,000 files and then delayed the rest citing ‘identifiable national security, law enforcement, and foreign affairs concerns’.

His successor, President Joe Biden also postponed their release upon entering office, saying that the National Archives needed more time to research them amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Archives last year made more than 13,000 records public and estimates that 99% of all documents have been made available. But many Americans are awaiting the final 1% that they hope can provide more answers on JFK’s death.

RFK Jr, who in October left the Democratic Party and declared himself an independent candidate, brought up his uncle, who is the most beloved former president according to a Gallup poll in July.

‘We can redeem my uncle’s vision of our nation as an exemplar of peace, freedom, and service to humankind,’ RFK Jr wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on the 60th anniversary.

‘His death will not have been in vain.’

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An anti-rhino-poaching ranger has been horrifically crushed to death by a rampaging hippo when it ambushed his patrol in South Africa.

The armed ranger was with three fellow rangers at the Mkhuze Game Reserve, 180 miles north of Durban, shortly after sunrise where they were protecting a herd of elephants and rhinos.

The group had discovered footprints, after receiving a tip-off that poachers had entered the park after dark – and had split into two groups to encircle the suspected gang.

But experienced patroller Sphamandla Mthembu, 31, surprised a three-ton hippo that was returning to the river and was charged by the beast and opened fire to save himself.

The gunfire alerted his colleagues, who rushed to where the ranger was gripped in the jaws of the hippo.

His coworkers didn’t stop firing their rifles until the hippo was dead – then moved forward to help their injured colleague who was still alive and able to tell them what had happened.

But the ranger died from the crush and bite wounds while waiting for medical assistance.

Father-of-two Mthembu had been a park ranger for eight years.

CEO of Ezemvelo Kwazulu-Natal Wildlife Park, Mr Shie Mkhize said: ‘My heart broke when I heard of the incident and finding the words to speak to his family was so difficult.

‘It was made even more difficult when I was told Mr Mthembu had recently lost a young child and his family were trying to come to term with that when this unfortunate incident happened.

‘Our thoughts are also with his fellow rangers who need space to be able to process what they witnessed.’

Hippos have the biggest teeth of any land mammal – their front teeth are over a foot long and their canines grow up to 18 inches long.

Local media reported the ranger had suffered nine wounds to his body, as local police opened an inquest.

A game reserve worker told a local journalist: ‘It was all very sudden and the hippo came from nowhere and charged and trampled and bit the ranger who had opened fire on it.

‘The others were firing as well but by the time it was dead so was the ranger. They said there was so much blood and they did not know how he was still alive when they reached him.’

Hippos kill more humans than any other animal in Africa, claiming at least 3,000 victims a year – they can grow up to 12 ft long and can run at 20mph.

They will even attack large boats on the river and sink or capsize them and become most agitated if humans get between them and their river or when they have young calves.

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An insurance fraudster who pretended he was so disabled he couldn’t even pull up his underpants has been jailed and faces a £150,000 court bill.

Mark Hilton, 49, was filmed doing his Christmas shopping – despite having claimed he couldn’t dress himself, lift a cup of tea, and needed a frame to walk.

Hilton, of Dartford, Kent, suffered soft tissue injuries when a heavy fuel hose fell onto him as he filled a tanker while working as a driver for Elliott Thomas Group Ltd in 2015.

Suing for over £600,000 in compensation, the grandad-of-six claimed the injury had left him so disabled he could barely function.

But his claim unravelled when private investigators caught him on film walking his dog, Christmas shopping in Ikea, fixing his car and visiting the West Ham store at Stratford.

Hilton’s claim was kicked out of court by a judge and now, after admitting contempt of court, he is facing a £150,000 bill and a ten month prison sentence.

Mr Justice Constable said: ‘This was a most calculated – if ineptly executed – attempt at defrauding insurers.’

In statements filed for his insurance claim, Hilton said he needed help getting dressed, could not drive, had to use a Zimmer frame to get about and claimed he could only walk about 20 yards due to his disability.

He said: ‘For all intents and purposes I am housebound.’

Footage from 2016, however, showed him driving to a shop, walking in without a stick, and later footage in 2018 proved he was not as severely disabled as he claimed.

Mr Hilton admitted the contempt, apologised for what he had done and appeared before Mr Justice Constable for sentencing in London last week.

Outlining the case for the insurer, QBE barrister Paul Higgins described Mr Hilton’s £600,000 compensation bid as a ‘very serious fundamental dishonesty case.’

MORE : Man who appeared on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? jailed over £4,500,000 scam

In claiming he was so disabled he was effectively housebound and couldn’t even pull up his pants or walk very far, Mr Hilton had ‘grossly exaggerated’ his injuries.

Jailing him for ten months, Justice Constable said Mr Hilton was guilty of a ‘very serious’ contempt of court.

He added: ‘There was an extremely marked disparity between his real ability to carry out daily activities – which included working on his car, shopping, walking – and a very serious curtailment of his lifestyle and abilities, as described repeatedly in his witness statements and acted out in his attempts to mislead the medicolegal experts.

‘The most aggravating aspect of the contempt is the quantum of the claim – in excess of £600,000.

‘This was a most calculated, if ineptly executed, attempt at defrauding insurers.’

The judge also ordered that Hilton be liable for QBE’s costs of the case, which lawyers estimated at about £150,000.

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Shocking footage has emerged of two shoppers throwing Christmas wrapping paper at each other in a packed Aldi.

The fight, filmed in a supermarket branch in Hounslow, west London, saw two women yelling at each other before beginning to throw the paper.

Aldi staff tried to separate the two brawling women, but they then began beating each other over the head with it.

The pair then decided to throw the paper at each other from a distance after being separated.

Many began joking about the viral tweet, saying it signifies that the holiday season has truly arrived.

One said: ‘Yep, it’s time to start your Christmas shopping now!’

Another added: ‘Folks in London putting on their best impressions of Black Friday in Florida.’ 

Last Christmas, shoppers in Aldi got into a riot after Prime was released in stores.

Customers of all ages were seen fighting for a bottle of the elusive energy drink shortly after it was released.

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Papau rebels in Indonesia have released a chilling new video, holding guns to their New Zealand hostage’s heads and threatening execution.

Philip Mark Mehrtens, a 37-year-old father from New Zealand, has been held by a rebel group since February but will be killed in two months if their demands are not met.

Mr Mehrtens, a pilot for an Indonesian aviation company, was kidnapped and taken hostage by the West Papua Liberation Army, as they demand the Papua region of Indonesia be freed from Jakarta.

In a new clip released by the fighters, Mr Mehrtens is seen sitting surrounded by men pointing guns at him.

The rebel leader, thought to be a man named Egianus Kogeya, said Mr Mehrtens would be shot dead in two months if his demands weren’t met.

The New Zealand foreign ministry said it was aware of the new video, and said they are continuing to work on Mr Mehrten’s release from the rebels.

Rebel spokesperson Sebby Sambom previously wrote on Facebook that Mr Mehrtens will be held hostage for negotiations with Indonesia.

They also prevoiusly said Mr Mehrtens would ‘never be released’ unless Papua was made independent.

Indonesia has continued to stress that Papua will remain a part of Indonesia, despite the group’s demands.

The group seized Mr Mehrtens in February after his plane landed in the remote region, before setting fire to it on the runway.

Onboard were five other Papuan nationals, including the area’s regional governor, who the group let go.

Consular support had been provided to the Mehrtens family as they await further news on Mr Mehrtens.

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For anyone who isn’t finance-inclined, days like the Autumn Statement and the Budget can feel like having dozens of meaningless numbers shoved into your face.

Today, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt revealed more than 100 measures which are hoped to boost growth – including tax cuts, tighter welfare rules, and telling people to ‘find a job’ or see their benefits stopped.

But thankfully, Metro.co.uk’s Consumer Champion Sarah Davidson is here to answer some of your most pressing questions.

Follow our live blog for latest updates on the Autumn Statement – and what it means for you

Branded as a budget for a spring election, today’s Autumn Statement was packed full of ‘giveaways’ designed to appeal to voters.

Delivering his statement to the House of Commons, Mr Hunt called it ‘a package which leaves government borrowing lower, debt lower, and keeps inflation falling’.

This is the 2023 Autumn Statement and what it means for you.

National Insurance cuts – how much will I save?

This was the biggie in today’s announcement. Employees will see the amount of national insurance they pay drop by 2% from January 6, 2024.

It will mean you keep more of your income than you do at the moment, so your take home pay will go up.

If you’re on £20,000 you’ll keep almost £150 more of your salary next year while anyone earning £60,000 or more will keep £754 extra.

Big numbers, but remember that’s over the year.

But what Hunt failed to say was that income tax thresholds are still in the deep freeze until April 2028.

That’s a major stealth tax and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates it will mean that four million more of us will start to pay income tax at 20% by 2028. Three million workers will see their income tax rate tip over into 40%.

What does that mean in money? It means £43 billion.

UK taxpayers will pay £43 billion more income tax over the next four years than we would have if the thresholds had been put up in line with inflation.

Like the state pension, universal credit and other benefits have been.

Mr Hunt claimed the central part of the Conservatives’ plan for growth is to ‘make work pay’. But pay who?

The OBR also calculates that the national insurance cuts will cost the Treasury £180 million.

That means income taxpayers will pay £43 billion more income tax over the next four years because the thresholds remain frozen and won’t rise in line with inflation.

Cutting national insurance will give us £180 million back. That’s a 0.4% rebate on the extra we’ve paid in income tax since 2020.

And Laura Suter, head of personal finance at AJ Bell, makes a very good point: ‘Once again the government has changed the rates of National Insurance partway through the tax year.

‘It’s the fifth change to National Insurance rates or thresholds in less than two years – meaning it would be very easy for workers to lose track of what rate they are paying.’

I’m self-employed – how much will I save?

Self-employed class 4 national insurance will be cut from 9% to 8% from 6 April 2024 and self-employed people with profits above £12,570 won’t have to pay class 2 national insurance.

It’s estimated that these changes could boost two million self-employed people’s pay packets from April next year.

Taken together, the Chancellor said the average self-employed person earning £28,200 a year would pay £350 less a year.

Again, this sounds good but remember that inflation is eating away at our real incomes and crucially, government left income tax thresholds on hold.

Another thing to watch out for. If you choose not to pay class 2 contributions, you won’t get the credit towards your state pension.

You could argue it’s a pretty small short-term gain which, unless you choose to keep paying these contributions, means you’re giving up a very valuable income when you retire.

I’m a pensioner – what’s changing for me?

Government honoured its triple lock pledge, meaning the full flat rate state pension will rise by 8.5% in April 2024 to £221.20 a week, worth up to £900 more a year.

Many older pensioners who retired before 2016 get less than the new state pension.

Their full weekly basic state pension will rise from £156.20 to £169.50 from April next year.

National insurance cuts won’t benefit pensioners.

Alice Guy, head of pensions and savings at Interactive Investor, said: ‘People over state pension age don’t pay national insurance on their income. Instead, they will still pay more income tax in 2024, as the personal allowance remains frozen at £12,570.’

I’m on benefits – what’s changing for me?

The government has decided to increase Universal Credit and other benefits from next April by 6.7% in line with September’s inflation figure.

This means an average increase of £470 for 5.5 million households next year.

If you rent from the council, there was finally a bit of positive news.

Local housing allowance (LHA) rates, which govern the maximum amount of support for their rent that low-income private renters can get, have been frozen in cash terms since April 2020.

Rents for new lets have increased by more than a fifth on average over the same timeframe.

‘The result is that the proportion of new private rental properties on Zoopla affordable to housing benefit or universal credit recipients has plummeted from 23% to 5% since the freeze,’ the Institute for Fiscal Studies noted in June.

‘A tiny proportion compared with the 38% of private renters who receive housing benefit.’

After years of campaigning by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Resolution Foundation, Citizens Advice UK and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, government has relented.

Local Housing Allowance will rise from April next year, giving around 1.6 million households an average of £800 of support next year.

What about inflation and interest rates?

Inflation fell to 4.6% in October, a big drop from a year ago when it was 11.1%.

Much was made of this, with suggestions it would mean the Bank of England could start cutting interest rates next year.

The OBR poured cold water on that hope. In its economic and fiscal outlook published alongside the Autumn Statement, it said: “Inflation is expected to be more persistent and domestically fuelled than we previously thought, falling below 5% by the end of this year but not returning to its 2% target until the first half of 2025.’

That’s more than a year later than the OBR thought at its last forecast made in March.

‘Markets now expect interest rates will need to remain higher for longer to bring inflation under control,’ it said in today’s outlook.

Worryingly, food inflation is still stubbornly high. Figures from the Office of National Statistics showed food and non-alcoholic prices rose 10.1% over the year to October – more than double the headline rate.

Given that food costs make up a much larger proportion of household spending for lower income families and individuals the cost of living isn’t going to ease any for many across the UK.

The energy regulator is also due to announce the energy price cap on November 23.

Analysts at Cornwall Insight forecast the average household energy bill will rise from £1,923 a year today to £1,996 in January 2024.

Energy price rises will feed into inflation, and push up food and clothing prices further.

Then there is the cost of rent and mortgages. The average monthly rent outside of London is now £1,278 according to Rightmove – 10% higher than a year ago.

Mortgage rates have come down a little over the past few months after the Bank of England put rate hikes on hold at 5.25% in August following 14 consecutive rises since December 2021.

However, there are still over a million homeowners set to remortgage or slip onto their lender’s standard variable rate over the coming year.

Going from a fixed rate of around 2% onto a fix over 5% will add hundreds of pounds to monthly mortgage repayments overnight – and that’s an issue that remains regardless of today’s tax cuts.

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A vehicle exploded in Niagara Falls, causing a fire and killing two people on Rainbow Bridge at the US-Canada border.

The car sped toward the bridge and exploded on the American side of the checkpoint on Wednesday morning, according to law enforcement officials.

Surveillance footage from the US government showed vehicle on a wet road going through an intersection, then hitting a low median and sailing through the air east of the main US Customs and Border Protection checkpoint. It smashed into a row of inspection booths.

‘You actually had to look at it and say, “Was this generated by AI?”‘ said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. ‘Because it was so surreal to see how high in the air this vehicle went and then the crash and explosion and the fire.’

The driver and passenger were killed, Hochul said. One of them was a resident of western New York.

‘Based on what we know at this moment, there is no sign of terrorist activity in this crash,’ the governor said.

In Buffalo, Erie Country Sheriff John Garcia said: ‘We can go on with our lives.’

The crash that drew fears of terrorism on both sides of the border amid a travel rush at the start of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Two witnesses said they heard a loud noise and that a massive smoke cloud formed near the inspections station around 11.20am, according to the Niagara Gazette.

‘We heard something smash,’ said one of the witnesses, Ivan Vitalii who was visiting from Ukraine. ‘We saw fire and big, black smoke.’

Another bystander, Mike Guenther, said he observed a car speeding from the US side to the border crossing and saw it swerve to avoid another vehicle and smash into a fence.

‘All of a sudden he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high,’ he told WGRZ. ‘I never saw anything like it.’

Rainbow Bridge was closed to traffic and a Niagara Falls Police Department captain directed away motorists and pedestrians near the inspections plaza.

President Joe Biden said he was ‘closely following developments’.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the explosion on Wednesday afternoon.

‘This is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls,’ he said in Parliament. ‘We are taking this extraordinary seriously.’

What caused the explosion was not immediately known.

All four border crossings by land between the US and Canada have been shuttered, according to the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission. The other three crossings are at Peace Bridge, Lewiston and Whirlpool.

Hochul directed the state police to work with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force ‘to monitor all points of entry to New York’.

The identities of the victims were not immediately released. A source briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press that they were husband and wife.

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The head of an aid group in Gaza has warned the besieged territory faces ‘imminent’ outbreaks water borne diseases.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Palestine (UNWRA), said an increase of skin diseases are also impacting the people of Gaza – which he said was unsurprising considering the unsanitary conditions in the enclave.

He described the situation for most as ‘desperate’ as ‘people are lacking everything’ as Gaza has only received 10% of its required food supplies each day in shipments from Egypt.

Follow the latest news from the Israel-Gaza conflict in our liveblog

The water system shutdown has left most of the Palestinian population drinking contaminated water.

Dehydration and malnutrition are also growing, according to the UN’s World Food Programme.

Dr Manal Mohammed is a lecturer in infectious diseases and genomics at the University of Westminster.

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He explained: ‘The very poor sanitation services across Gaza during the war and the consumption of sewage contaminated water are raising fears of the spread of waterborne infectious diseases and can cause outbreaks.

‘There are several pathogens that can be transmitted through consumption of contaminated water such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid, polio, hepatitis A virus which can cause serious illness and even death.

‘Some bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics such as Salmonella and E. coli can also be transmitted through contaminated water.

‘If people are not killed by rocket attacks, they might die of consuming contaminated water.’

The UN was forced to stop deliveries of food and other necessities to Gaza late last week, and warned of the growing risk of widespread starvation after internet and phone services collapsed due to lack of fuel.

Mr Lazzarini said he was in ‘full admiration’ of the UN staff who have endured terrifying experiences while working with the people living in Gaza.

He reassured the press that ‘UNRWA will stay. UNRWA has stayed. And we will scale up our footprint, scale up our presence, scale up our activities.’

Weeks of devastating Israel airstrikes in Gaza, followed by a ground invasion, have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

It does not differentiate between civilians and militants, though some two-thirds of the dead have been identified as women and minors.

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Jeremy Hunt has used his autumn statement for 2023 to announce key points including tax cuts and tighter welfare rules – and tell people to ‘find a job’ or see their benefits stopped.

The speech, which was delivered to the House of Commons earlier this morning, is the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s main opportunity outside the budget to make tax and spending announcements.

The Tories will hope the statement can revive the UK’s struggling economy – as well as the party’s waning election chances.

Follow our live blog for latest updates on the Autumn Statement – and what it means for you

The announcement comes at a time of political and economic flux, with the Conservatives flagging in the polls while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claims victory for inflation halving in recent months.

The full autumn statement includes 110 measures which it’s hoped will boost growth – but these are the seven key announcements.

National Insurance Cut

Employee national insurance will be cut by two percentage points, from 12% to 10%, from January 6.

Two million self-employed will benefit from the axing of class two national insurance and a cut to class four national insurance to 8%, Mr Hunt said, which he said will save them about £350 a year.

Booze duty frozen and tobacco duty hiked

Alcohol duty will be frozen until August 1 2024, meaning no increase in duty on beer, cider, wine or spirits, while tobacco duty will rise.

Smokers will pay more for hand rolling tobacco from this evening.

£450 extra in Universal Credit

The government chose to raise universal credit by September’s 6.7% rate of inflation, despite speculation it could have based the increase on October’s lower rate of 4.6% to save money.

State pension rises to £220 per week

Pensions will be increased by 8.5% in line with average earnings to £221 a week from April, maintaining the so-called ‘triple-lock’ policy where the amount paid is whichever is highest out of average earnings growth, CPI inflation or 2.5%.

Savers could be given the right to pick the pension scheme their employer pays into, similar to the approach taken by countries like Australia, under proposals being put out to consultation.

A £320 million plan to help unlock pension fund investment for technology and science schemes was also announced.

Local housing allowance

The freeze on the local housing allowance will be ended, Mr Hunt said. The Chancellor will increase the rate to the 30th percentile of local market rents, which he says will give 1.6 million households an average of £800 of support next year.

Tighter welfare rules

Welfare recipients who do not get a job within 18 months will be forced to take on work experience under plans to get more people into employment, the Government had already announced.

Those who do not comply will have their benefits, including access to free prescriptions and legal aid, cut off.

Minimum wage increase

The national living wage will rise by £1.02 to £11.44 from April, with the policy extended to cover workers aged 21 and over for the first time rather than 23 and over.

It means the lowest paid will receive a boost of £1,800 a year.

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Home Secretary James Cleverly has been accused of calling a Labour MP’s constituency a ‘s***hole’.

Speaking in the Commons, Alex Cunningham alleged the incident happened at Prime Minister’s Questions when he challenged Rishi Sunak over why there is child poverty in his Stockton North constituency.

Making a point of order in the Commons, he said: ‘Before the Prime Minister answered, the Home Secretary chose to add in his pennyworth. Yes, I have contacted his office advising him I planned to name him, but sadly he has chosen not to be in the chamber.

‘He was seen, and heard to say ‘because it’s a s***hole’. I know he is denying being the culprit, but the audio is clear and has been checked, and checked, and checked again.

‘There is no doubt that these comments shame the Home Secretary, this rotten Government, and the Tory Party. He is clearly unfit for his high office.’

He asked how he would secure an apology from the Home Secretary for ‘his appalling insult and foul language’.

Mr Cleverly has denied making the comments.

His spokesman said: ‘He did not say that, and would not. He’s disappointed people would accuse him of doing so.’

Commons Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing said it was her understanding that Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle ‘didn’t hear any remark of the kind from the chair at the time when the honourable gentleman was asking his question’.

She said: ‘I understand that the alleged words were not actually used, though I appreciate what Mr Cunningham says.

‘But I think we all know that it’s very difficult in the noisy atmosphere of Prime Minister’s Questions to discern exactly what someone says. So I can make no judgment here from the chair as to what was or wasn’t said.’

She said she understood Mr Cunningham’s concern, and added: ‘I would remind all honourable members of the need for good temper and moderation in the language they use in this chamber.’

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Cunningham had asked: ‘Why are 34% of children in my constituency living in poverty?’

Responding at the despatch box, Rishi Sunak said: ‘It’s this Government that has ensured that across our country 1.7 million fewer people are living in… poverty as a result of the actions of this Government.’

Mr Cunningham could then be heard calling out ‘it’s not true’ to the Prime Minister.

Mr Sunak went on: ‘Yes that is true. Not only that, hundreds of thousands fewer children are living in poverty, and income inequality is at a lower level than we inherited from the party opposite.

‘But we don’t want any child to grow up in poverty, and the best way to make sure that happens is to ensure they do not grow up in a workless household.

‘And that is why the right strategy is to ensure that we provide as many children with the opportunity to grow up with parents in work.

‘And because of the actions of previous governments, several hundred thousand more families are in that position.’

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This is the shocking moment a Ukrainian missile killed a Russian singer at a concert packed with Russian marines in a ‘deliberate revenge attack’.

The HIMARS strike reportedly killed at least 25 of Putin’s troops and left 100 wounded in the occupied Donetsk region.

The concert, which was held in the village of Kumachovo, only 37 miles from the frontline, was to mark Russia’s annual Day of Missile Forces and Artillery.

In video footage, Russian actress and choreographer Polina Menshikh, 40, can be seen playing the guitar and singing for the marines when the deadly two-missile strike hits, and the video blacks out.

A theatre based in St Petersburg associated with Ms Menshikh said an upcoming performance of a play she had previously directed would be dedicated to her memory.

Russia reportedly ordered a news blackout on the troop losses from the US-made HIMARS strike on Sunday.

The Russian Investigative Committee announced a criminal probe into the attack which ‘killed a civilian’.

The Ukrainian military described the strike as a ‘reckoning blow’ after many of its own civilians were murdered in similar strikes.

But at least 25 Russian marines were killed and more than 100 were wounded in the Sunday strike, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The strike has enraged Russian war bloggers, one of whom hit out at the ‘untaught idiots’ – Russia’s commanders – who did not expect the Ukrainians to seek revenge as Russia’s own troops marked their Artillery Forces Day.

The channel raged: ‘The building where the show event was held was located only 60 kilometres [37 miles] from the frontline.

‘The result is predictable – the enemy struck with HIMARS, including Russian actress Polina Menshikh, who was performing at that moment, who died.

‘Almost two years of war and the untaught idiots still do not know what to do and what not to do.’

Commander of Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance unit Birds of Magyar, Robert Brovdi, said Kyiv’s forces had attacked the 810th separate brigade of the Russian Marines in ‘revenge for the 128th Brigade’.

The 128th Brigade saw at least 20 soldiers killed and more wounded by a Kh059 missile strike on November 4, which marks Ukraine’s Artillery Forces Day.

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President Zelensky branded the November 4 attack as a ‘tragedy that could have been avoided’ and a criminal investigation was launched.

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Eating red meat and dairy could help to fight cancer, a new study suggests.

Scientists have discovered that a specific fatty acid found in beef, lamb and dairy products improves the body’s ability to attack and kill tumours.

The study, published in the journal Nature, also shows that patients with higher levels of the fatty acid – known as trans-vaccenic acid (TVA) – in their blood responded better to immunotherapy, suggesting that it could work as a nutritional supplement to complement clinical cancer treatments.

‘There are many studies trying to decipher the link between diet and human health, and it’s very difficult to understand the underlying mechanisms because of the wide variety of foods people eat,’ said co-author Professor Jing Chen, of the University of Chicago.

‘But if we focus on just the nutrients and metabolites derived from food, we begin to see how they influence physiology and pathology.

‘By focusing on nutrients that can activate T cell [immune] responses, we found one that actually enhances anti-tumour immunity by activating an important immune pathway.’

For the study, the team started with a database of around 700 known metabolites, small molecules that come from food, and assembled a ‘blood nutrient’ library.

They then screened the compounds in this new library for their ability to influence anti-tumour immunity.

After the scientists evaluated the top six candidates in both human and mouse cells, they saw that TVA performed the best.

‘After millions of years of evolution, there are only a couple hundred metabolites derived from food that end up circulating in the blood, so that means they could have some importance in our biology,’ said Professor Chen.

‘To see that a single nutrient like TVA has a very targeted mechanism on a targeted immune cell type, with a very profound physiological response at the whole organism level – I find that really amazing and intriguing.’

The team found that feeding mice a diet enriched with TVA significantly reduced the tumour growth potential of melanoma and colon cancer cells, as well as enhancing the body’s ability to infiltrate tumours.

They then analysed blood samples from hospital patients undergoing immunotherapy treatment for lymphoma and discovered that patients with higher levels of TVA tended to respond better to treatment than those with lower levels.

Finally, the study discovered that TVA enhanced the ability of an immunotherapy drug to kill leukaemia cells in patients.

However, the authors do not believe eating excessive red meat is the solution and hope to find similar results in plants.

Professor Chen added: ‘There is a growing body of evidence about the detrimental health effects of consuming too much red meat and dairy, so this study shouldn’t be taken as an excuse to eat more cheeseburgers and pizza.

‘There is early data showing that other fatty acids from plants signal through a similar receptor, so we believe there is a high possibility that nutrients from plants can do the same thing by activating the CREB pathway as well.’

MORE : Ultra-processed foods pose major risk of mouth and throat cancer, scientists warn

MORE : ‘Completely new’ cancer drug offers hope to millions

MORE : My form of cancer was so rare I was the first man in three years in my area to get it

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Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement is likely to have little impact on the Tories’ near-flatlining chances at the next General Election, according to seasoned political commentators. 

The chancellor outlined his fiscal plans at the House of Commons today, announcing measures to stimulate economic growth, increase pay packets and alleviate the cost of living.

Mr Hunt also announced moves to freeze alcohol duty and increase universal credit and state pensions, along with 110 measures aimed at growing the British economy.

Cuts to National Insurance, freeing up money for rent and new housing and increasing the National Living Wage to £11.44 an hour also gave the statement broad appeal.  

The speech is likely to be one of the Tories’ final big parliamentary set-pieces before the election is called by the prime minister next year ahead of the December 17 cut-off.  

Hunt’s package appeared to contain across-the-board incentives to a wide range of British society, underpinned by the Tory ethos of using low taxes and business growth to reinvigorate the country.  

But will it be enough to raise the Tories’ moribund showing in the polls? 

MORE : Follow our live blog for latest updates on the Autumn Statement – and what it means for you

‘Tories want to recover from Brexit and Truss’

Westminster watcher Dr Darren Lilleker told Metro.co.uk: ‘Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement is designed to appeal to electoral groups the Conservatives fear they are losing as they languish in the opinion polls.

‘Larger than expected increases in pensions may shore up support among older generations, especially those most vulnerable to economic volatility.  

‘Meanwhile the drop in the rate of National Insurance, increases in benefits and support for apprenticeships could appeal to voters in the so-called “red wall” seats where many exist in financially precarious conditions.

‘So largely we need to look at this budget as an attempt to shift public opinion for the government.’ 

Turbulence encountered by the Tories in recent years includes the Boris Johnson ‘partygate’ scandal, the economic crisis precipitated by Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng and a merry-go-round of firings and hirings.

In coming months, Mr Hunt’s measures will play out against the ongoing cost of living crisis felt by millions of voters, which includes the energy price cap expected to rise to around £2,000 for the whole of next year. 

Dr Lilleker, professor of political communications at Bournemouth University, said: ‘The question is whether the statement can reverse the perception of the Conservatives on the economy.

‘The value of the pound took hits from Brexit and the Kwarteng budget, meaning import costs have increased. Economic problems resulting from the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and turbulence in the Middle East have exacerbated existing problems, as indicated by the higher inflation in the UK compared to the EU average.  

‘While some factors are beyond the control of the government, it is perception that matters: the question is who does the public blame for any reduction in their standards of living. 

‘The measures Jeremy Hunt has taken could help many financially, especially those most vulnerable to fluctuations in prices. But food prices remain stubbornly high, affecting the budgets of many families. The measures will only be vote winners if people feel they are better off.  

‘We may see an opinion poll bounce on the back of announcements, but if the narrative remains that many are still on or below the poverty line the bounce could be short-lived.  

‘This will especially be the case within the communities, such as those red wall seats, if they still feel they are struggling to make ends meet. 

‘Ideological Conservatives who believe in low tax will find much to like in the budget, perhaps with a question around the substantial benefit increases.’ 

Despite the pay packet boons, voters may approach today’s announcement with a dose of scepticism, the academic warned.

‘It is only weeks ago that Hunt was saying a responsible government could not reduce taxes and spending needed to be tightly controlled,’ he said.  

‘Will this budget lead to cynicism and be seen widely as an attempt to win votes at a time of continuing bad news for the government?’

A small Labour majority is the most likely outcome at the next election, according to YouGov, with 23% of people choosing this as the most likely result. The figures, which cover the period up to Monday, show a large majority for Sir Keir Starmer’s party as the second most popular prediction, with 15% of those feeling this scenario was most likely.  

A hung parliament resulting in a Conservative-led government or a small Tory majority were both around the 8% mark in the monthly tracking data. 

The Labour leader is 13th in a separate YouGov list of the most popular political figures, with Rishi Sunak residing at 29th.

‘Stimulus may only reduce size of Labour win’

Professor Wyn Grant, emeritus professor of politics, University of Warwick, said: ‘The Autumn Statement might potentially have some impact but one has to remember that in 1997 the economy was recovering and still the Conservatives lost by a large margin because people were worried about public services as well as the state of the economy.

‘Clearly, the tax reductions will put some more money in people’s pockets and inflation will continue to moderate, so people may be feeling better off by this time next year after suffering quite big increases in the shops.  

‘It may reduce the Labour lead, but the question is whether it will be enough to secure a Conservative majority, or even the Conservatives as the largest party, and at present I’m quite doubtful about this. I’m always sceptical about the notion of a Labour landslide but it may make this less likely.’  

The Tories may have to wait until after the election to see rosier growth, with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) saying today that the economy will grow by 0.7% in 2024 and 1.4% in 2025. The spending watchdog released the outlook alongside the Autumn Statement. 

‘I haven’t seen any year in which growth is shown to be above 2%, so the growth problem in the economy has not been solved,’ Prof Grant said.

‘You have to solve the growth and productivity problem to give people a higher standard of living. If you look at the OBR forecast which takes account of the Autumn Statement, there’s no dramatic increase in growth.

‘But whatever the government does, it might be that after 13 years of the same government in office, even if they claim the governments are different, people decide it is time for a change.’  

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk

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The King hosted a star-studded state banquet last night, making K-pop references as he hosted the Korean President at Buckingham Palace.

The banquet was held to mark the 140th anniversary of Korea’s diplomatic ties to the UK, and King Charles even joked that he hadn’t managed to develop ‘Gangnam Style’.

Charles said: ‘Sadly, when I was in Seoul all those years ago, I am not sure I developed much of what might be called the Gangnam Style!

‘Even at the time of my last visit, that journey was clearly just beginning. The Republic of Korea’s drive and energy continued apace, and with it, the impact on British lives.

‘From fridges and flatscreens to smartphones and semiconductors, it is clear that the model of industrial efficiency I glimpsed in Seoul thirty years ago has become the epitome of technological creativity today.’

The star-studded banquet hosted the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, and his wife Kim Keon, along with singers BLACKPINK, the Prime Minister, Lord David Cameron, and other members of the royal family.

Kate opted to wear the Queen Mother’s Strathmore Rose Tiara and diamonds, and Queen Camilla opted to wear the rarely-seen ruby and diamond Burmese tiara, belonging to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

King Charles toasted the ‘artistic creativity’ of the country, which has taken the world by storm in the form of K-Pop and a number of hugely popular TV shows.

He added: ‘Korea has matched Danny Boyle with Bong Joon-ho, James Bond with Squid Game, and the Beatles’ Let It Be with BTS’s Dynamite.

‘Our cultures share a remarkable ability to captivate imaginations across the world, transforming a so-called soft power into a shared superpower.’

The environmentally savvy King Charles also praised Korea’s commitment to going green and applauded the members of BLACKPINK for spreading the message as Ambassadors for the U.K.’s Presidency of COP 26.

Charles also mentioned how his mother, who visited Korea in 1999, was amazed by the warmth and beauty of the country.

The Royal Family’s official social media accounts also shared a glimpse behind the scenes of the luxurious banquet.

A stunning video showed the creation of Hibiscus Syriacus flowers made of sugar, which were placed on top of petit fours for the guests on golden plates.

The menu, written in French, included poached eggs, pheasant, and a mango ice cream bombe.

Prior to the event, the Korean delegation was given a ceremonial welcome at the Horse Guard’s Parade and were given a carriage procession along the mall.

More than 1,000 soldiers were on parade, with gun salutes in the autumn leaves in Green Park.

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Martin Lewis has issued a warning to savers with ISA accounts following Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement.

The Money Saving Expert founder wrote on X, formerly Twitter, savers will still be fined by the government if they use their Lifetime Isa’s to buy a house worth more than £450,000.

This is despite placing pressure on the chancellor to raise the house price limit on a Lifetime Isa to keep up with house prices.

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He said he hoped this would change in Mr Hunt’s autumn statement today.

‘Damn. Our lifetime ISA campaign has failed,’ he wrote online.

‘No change to the fact people using it to buy house over £450,000 due to the house price rise, will still be fined by the government and have less money than they started with.’

Average house prices in some parts of the UK now exceed the £450,000 limit.

This has lead to some savers being penalised when they withdraw this money to buy a home.

Although it was rumoured this rule could be scrapped in today’s autumn budget, Mr Hunt made no mention of the saving scheme.

But the chancellor did introduce some measures which are set to come into force in April 2024.

This includes scrapping the single Isa limit, allowing savers to open and pay into multiple accounts in a single year without losing their £20,000 allowance.

Partial transfers have also been allowed, meaning parts of one account can be transferred into anoter.

Savers no longer need to reapply for an Isa each year if it is lying dormant, and the minimum opening age for an account will be 18 across the board.

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The remains of a possible temple from 1,400 years ago have been discovered on private farmland near Sutton Hoo.

Experts excavating the remains say the building may have been used for pre-Christian worship, or could have been a ‘cult house’.

Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk, is one of the country’s most important historical sites. In June 1939, as war approached, archaeologists discovered a burial chamber full of extraordinary treasures on the site, eventually revealing an Anglo-Saxon royal burial ground that revolutionised early English history.

In the years since, the area has continued to divulge astonishing secrets from the past.

Last year, the remains of a large timber royal hall were uncovered at Rendlesham, four miles away, confirming the spot as a settlement of the East Anglian kings.

Suffolk County Council said digs this year found evidence of fine metalworking associated with royal occupation, including a mould used for casting decorative horse harnesses similar to those known from nearby Sutton Hoo.

The compound at Rendlesham was found to be more than twice the size previously thought, bordered by a near mile-long perimeter ditch enclosing an area of 15 hectares – about the size of 20 football pitches.

The royal residence was part of a wider settlement complex covering 50 hectares, which is unique in the archaeology of 5th to 8th century England in its size and complexity, the council said.

The longship burial at Sutton Hoo, around four miles from Rendlesham, is thought to be the final resting place of King Raedwald, who ruled in the 7th century.

The discovery of a ‘possible temple’ at Rendlesham was made this summer by Suffolk County Council’s Rendlesham Revealed community archaeology project, which is lottery funded.

The project’s principal academic adviser Professor Christopher Scull, of Cardiff University and University College London, said: ‘The results of excavations at Rendlesham speak vividly of the power and wealth of the East Anglian kings and the sophistication of the society they ruled.

‘The possible temple, or cult house, provides rare and remarkable evidence for the practice at a royal site of the pre-Christian beliefs that underpinned early English society.

‘Its distinctive and substantial foundations indicate that one of the buildings, 10 metres long and five metres wide, was unusually high and robustly built for its size, so perhaps it was constructed for a special purpose.

‘It is most similar to buildings elsewhere in England that are seen as temples or cult houses, therefore it may have been used for pre-Christian worship by the early kings of the East Angles.’

This summer’s excavations revealed the foundations of three new timber buildings including the possible temple.

They also identified evidence of 7th century metal working, two graves of an unknown date and evidence of earlier settlement and activity from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman periods.

‘This year’s findings round off three seasons of fieldwork which confirm the international significance of Rendlesham’s archaeology and its fundamental importance for our knowledge of early England,’ said Suffolk County councillor Melanie Vigo di Gallidoro.

‘Everyone involved in the project can take pride that together we have achieved something remarkable.’

The council said the excavations are complete and trenches at the site have been backfilled, with work already underway to analyse the finds, with provisional results due next year.

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Jeremy Hunt has once again used his Autumn Statement to clobber benefit claimants in proposals that will ‘punish’ the sick and disabled.

The Chancellor outlined plans in today’s budget to boost social welfare support while rolling out tougher benefits sanctions to get 200,000 people into the workforce.

Around 2,600,000 working-age people are unable to clock in or out altogether due to a serious sickness, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

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Hundreds of thousands of others living with a long-term illness can work but their condition makes what jobs they can do ‘limited’.

To many of them, the chancellor has given them two options: find a job or face a benefit cut.

Hunt said the government will provide a further £1,300,000,000 in funding over the next five years to help 300,000 people who have been unemployed for more than a year and 700,000 people not working due to physical or mental ill health, such as counselling or coaching.

But in Hunt’s bid to reward ‘effort and work’ and ‘improve incentives to work’, the government will ‘ask for something in return’.

Job seekers will have 18 months to find employment before they have to take part in a mandatory work placement ‘to increase their skills and improve their employability’.

People receiving disability benefits will be made to work from home, he said.

‘If they choose not to engage with the work such process for six months. We will close their case and stop their benefits,’ Hunt said. Legal aid and free prescriptions will also be stopped.

‘We will reform the fit note process so that treatment rather than time off work becomes the default,’ he added.

‘We will reform the work capability assessment to reflect greater flexibility and availability of home working after the pandemic.’

Hunt says the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), a spending watchdog, thinks this will get another 200,000 people into the workforce.

‘Conservatives say we should unlock the potential we have right here at home, which we do with the biggest set of welfare reforms in a decade in today’s autumn statement for growth,’ Hunt said.

Scope’s James Taylor said: ‘Threatening disabled people with more sanctions will not lead to more disabled people getting into and staying in work.

‘Forcing disabled people into unsuitable jobs and cutting financial support in a cost of living crisis will be disastrous.’

Joe Ryle, Director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, said that Britain’s work culture isn’t exactly helping with worries about people living with illnesses not working.

‘Our very British culture of long working hours and low pay is pushing people to the brink,’ he said.

‘We work some of the longest hours in Europe which is causing burnout for millions and not producing good results for the economy.’

Changes to the Work Capability Assessment also raised alarms for a coalition of over 100 disability organisations.

Anastasia Berry, policy co-chair of the Disability Benefits Consortium and Policy Manager at the MS Society, said: ‘The government’s decision to push ahead with this cynical attack on disability benefits will have a devastating impact on those on the lowest incomes.

‘It will deprive people with severe health problems of £390 a month and push more disabled people into poverty in the middle of a cost of living crisis.’

Since the pandemic put tens of thousands of Britons out of work, ministers have spent years trying to bring a flood of workers back to the job market.

So far, it’s been more like a trickle. While the rate of unemployment has decreased, the level of ‘economic inactivity’ has remained high.

The unemployment rate – people able to and are actively looking for work – was 4.2% in the three months to August this year, with no real change since July.

But there aren’t too many jobs to apply for right now. The estimated number of vacancies from August to October 2023 was 957,000 (it appeared Hunt rounded up to 1,000,000 in his address), according to the ONS.

Statisticians call people who aren’t actively looking for work or able to start a job ‘economically inactive’, a figure which has been high since the pandemic.

Some experts refer to this group as Britain’s ‘invisible workforce’, an untapped ‘army of unemployed people’ that need to be pushed back into the labour market.

In September, the rate was 20.9% (just shy of 8,800,000 Britons) and includes people living with long-term and temporary sickness, retirees, students, caregivers and those wealthy enough not to need to work.

‘The increase in economic inactivity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic had been largely driven by those who were students and the long-term sick,’ the ONS says.

The 2,604,000 unable to be on payrolls because of long-term sickness – think depression, problems with hands or feet and musculoskeletal conditions – are at a ‘record high’.

Those of ‘working age’ are defined as people aged between 16 and 64, but that doesn’t mean they can get a job, especially if they are full-time students or carers.

‘Discouraged workers’ – or, as the ONS puts it, people who believe there’s no work available – are only a small fraction of the economically inactive, consisting of 21,000.

Studies in Britain, Switzerland and Sweden have found that social security sanctions push people into worse jobs.

Just the threat alone of these sanctions brought lasting ill effects, with physical and mental ill health, hunger, homelessness and ‘survival crime’ among them.

Sanctions don’t always work either, researchers say. A University of Glasgow team found they tend to lead to increases in unemployment and economic inactivity as people are shoved into low-wage gigs.

Meanwhile, an American study found letting people hunt for jobs in their own time pays off – literally – as they can find a job more suited to them, boosting economic efficiency and productivity.

As Thomas Lawson, CEO of national anti-poverty charity Turn2u, said: ‘By pushing people into any job rather than the right job, emphasising the punishments they could receive and axing some people’s benefits completely, the government will further damage people’s trust and worsen their health.

‘We need a truly compassionate approach that centres understanding, dignity, and respect.’

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Smokers will have to pay more for rolling tobacco after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced tax hike.

In his autumn statement, Mr Hunt said the government would increase the duty on hand-rolling tobacco by 10% starting tonight.

He said: ‘I am going to increase duty on hand-rolling tobacco by an additional 10% above the tobacco duty escalator.’

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Tobacco duty is a tax charged to businesses making or importing cigarettes into the UK.

But the cost is then passed onto consumers.

In October, Rishi Sunak announced the legal smoking age a year every year, and new tougher rules on vaping are to be introduced.

The tougher tobacco sale laws would mean a 14-year-old today will ‘never legally be sold a cigarette’ as the smoking age limit is gradually increased from 18.

In the incremental New Zealand-style ban, the prime minister told Tory conference-goers doing so would help ease the pressure on the NHS.

It will be a ‘free’ vote in Parliament, meaning MPs can vote with their own preference rather than be whipped into a certain position by party leaders.

If passed, this would make Britain the first country in Europe to ban cigarette sales to young people.

He has also announced a new crackdown on vaping, vowing to scrutinise ‘flavours, packaging, displays and disposable vapes’.

Adding that data suggests one in five children now use e-cigarettes, Sunak said: ‘That is shocking and wrong. And we must act before it becomes endemic.’

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