The Welsh Government says it is ‘acting ‘decisively’ to make sure young people are offered ‘additional protection’

Young people across Wales will be offered the meningococcal B (Men B) vaccine for the first time during autumn 2026 as part of a time-limited programme.

The initiative is being launched as a precautionary step following the unprecedented Men B outbreak that primarily affected University of Kent students in March 2026, along with other recent unseasonal clusters across the UK.

Men B is the most common cause of invasive meningococcal disease in the UK and can result in meningitis and sepsis – both potentially fatal conditions.

Research demonstrates young people are at elevated risk of contracting Men B with particularly heightened dangers in higher education environments due to extensive close social interaction. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter.

The vaccination programme will operate from July through December 2026 and will be accessible to all those currently aged 17-18 years (born between September 1, 2007, and August 31, 2008) as well as anyone aged 18-25 who will be starting higher education or residential further education for the first time in autumn 2026 including international students.

The vaccine will be administered in a two-dose schedule. Those aged 17-18 will receive an invitation letter from their health board from July 6 with details on how to obtain their vaccine.

Those aged 18-25 who will be commencing higher education or residential further education for the first time this autumn, including international students, will need to contact their health board after July 20 for further information.

Deputy minister for public and preventative health Nerys Evans said: “Meningococcal B is a rare but extremely serious disease that can progress quickly and devastate young lives.

“Following recent outbreaks across the UK the Welsh Government has acted decisively to ensure that young people in Wales will be offered this additional protection and I urge everyone who is eligible to take up their vaccination offer.”

Wales’ chief medical officer, Professor Isabel Oliver, said: “This is a safe and effective vaccine that will offer important protection to those who receive it.

“With the new academic year approaching it is vital that eligible young people come forward for both doses as soon as the programme opens.

“I encourage all those who qualify to act promptly.”

Dr Christopher Johnson, head of vaccine-preventable disease programme at Public Health Wales, said: “Young people heading to university for the first time are at an elevated risk of meningitis B as they mix with new groups of people while enjoying their new environment.

“Having two doses of this vaccination, ideally before they depart for university, will give them the best protection against this infection, which can cause such serious illness.”

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Numerous residents spoke up at a meeting of Stockton Council’s decision-making planning committee after the plans for Sandy Lane West, Billingham, drew 279 letters of objection and just one in support.

People who had lived in the area for decades raised concerns including “horrific” and “incredible” traffic congestion near three schools, potential “chaos” and strain on overstretched, overwhelmed services.

Sandy Lane West, Billingham. Picture: Google.

Tom Carr, managing director of developer TCC Land, told Wednesday’s meeting he wanted the Middlesbrough-based company to help the region grow.

He said: “I want to be able to walk into my local pub as the man who delivers good stuff for his community.”

He said he had made changes and taken on board suggestions, including traffic calming speed cushions, for the outline plan, adding: “I’ve stood in the middle of a muddy field with my boots on, I’ve stood and listened to feedback from residents.

“I want to be able to drive my family past this development and be proud to tell them we developed it.”

Objector Gemma Laycock countered: “My children are going to have to live in it. And I’ve got serious concerns.”

Samantha McHale said a community petition gathered more than 500 signatures, arguing the plan was not safe, sustainable or beneficial.

She said: “The strength of the feeling of our community is clear, our community is united and we’re saying no.

“It will only deepen existing inequalities. We should be investing in services before adding further pressure, not the other way around.

“We are facing a terrifying reality regarding road safety. This development will introduce hundreds of additional vehicles on to our roads near our schools.

“This is already a dangerous stretch of road with multiple accidents and a fatality in the past couple of years. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”

Christopher Harston said: “We often witness crashes, near misses, speeding, incidents, police pursuits, one of which became a crash right outside my front gate.

“Our beloved dog was killed at a junction. If a substantial increase in traffic is approved on these already inadequate roads, one day it may not be a pet that pays the price.”

Angela Molnar said road accidents had gone unreported, adding: “It’s a lived reality for those who live nearby. I personally witnessed a child being knocked over just outside Northfield School.

“These are the kinds of incidents that never appear in your data but are happening in real life. I was involved in a road traffic collision where my car was written off.

“This is not just about congestion, it’s about preventable harm. The risks are already too high, approving this development would make them worse.”

Inside Stockton Council’s planning committee meeting in the council chamber at Dunedin House, Thornaby on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 10. Picture: LDRS.

Objectors described the plans as “totally unsuitable” for the area, expressing worries about parking, spoiling an “oasis of calm”, the loss of green space, impact on wildlife, light and traffic pollution, crime, anti-social behaviour, HGVs, and noise, dust and disruption affecting residents in construction lasting up to four years.

Ward councillor Marcus Vickers argued the plans violated Stockton’s Local Plan which tried to prevent urban sprawl, saying it would destroy fields and would be “the starting gun for coalescing Wolviston Village to the rest of Billingham”.

Cllr David Reynard said the development could be “life-changing” for residents.

Neil Westwick, senior director of the developer’s agent Lichfields, said their detailed traffic surveys and transport assessment found the longest road delay would be 1.1 seconds.

He said it would be a “logical extension settlement” of much-needed homes, leaving a “clear and meaningful physical gap of approximately 260m” between Billingham and Wolviston.

The council’s planning officers recommended the plan for approval. Planning services manager Simon Grundy said they noted residents’ concerns and the site was outside development limits, but this was not enough to warrant refusal.

He said the council did not have five years’ worth of housing land supply, so the balance swung in favour of developers.

He said there would be enough space to protect Billingham and Wolviston’s distinct identities: “It’s considered to be in a sustainable location with good access to services and facilities.

“Taking all matters into account, the adverse impacts are considered to be limited and do not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposal.”

Highways engineer Martin Parker said assessments of four key junctions using industry software came back with no capacity issues, prompting responses of “you’re joking” from members of the public.

He said there would be “negligible delays” and officers could not object to the plan: “The impact’s simply not there.

“Yes there have been a number of accidents in the last 20 years. There have been 10 accidents on Thames Road.”

He said one serious accident involving a child “could have happened anywhere” and six less serious accidents were not in the last five years: “We could not class that road as unsafe. There will be good access for all users.”

Further reports, assessments and potential measures were to come to tackle noise for proposed homes near the A19, and a nearby old landfill last used in the 1980s.

Cllr Lynn Hall said she was not reassured, saying: “Would I like to live on this site adjacent to the A19? No.”

Cllr Barry Woodhouse said he had “grave concerns” over traffic, parking near schools, homes’ affordability, the A19 and noise.

He said: “If you put another 179, possibly 300 cars coming in and out of that estate and all the schools, I think it’s going to be a nightmare. I think it’s just the wrong place to put it.”

Cllrs Stephen Dodds said the plan was “not a natural fit” for the area and there was a “disconnect between modelling and reality, people’s real-life experiences”. Cllr Shakeel Hussain said: “It just doesn’t fit right. It would just ruin the identity of Wolviston.”

Councillors voted 10-2 to reject the plan on the grounds of traffic, A19 noise, loss of agricultural land, development limits, biodiversity and mixing Billingham and Wolviston.

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Lee’s lawyers asked the high court to keep the execution on hold, saying in a response that Alabama was asking it to intervene at the eleventh hour “to allow an execution that has been found unconstitutional to proceed”

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to let Alabama proceed with a nitrogen gas execution Thursday after a lower court ruled that the method is unconstitutional.

The justices decided not to lift an injunction blocking the state from carrying out the nation’s ninth execution by nitrogen gas. The decision spared death row inmate Jeffery Lee, 49, from being put to death by nitrogen that night.

A spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Corrections said the execution was off for the evening and the state would not try another method. The high court voted 6-3 and did not explain its reasoning. Three of the conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch — said they would grant Alabama’s request to lift the injunction and let the execution go forward.

“While I am disappointed the Supreme Court did not allow the state to proceed with Lee’s chosen method of execution, I remain committed to ensuring that justice is ultimately served for his victims,” Gov. Kay Ivey said.

Lee’s legal team hailed the decision and noted that his jury had voted for a sentence of life, which a judge overruled.

“His jury voted for life. Two courts ruled the method unconstitutional. Today, the Constitution prevailed,” the team said. “Now Governor Ivey can finish what the jury started: restore the jury’s verdict of life without parole.”

The ruling capped an extraordinary legal back-and-forth over the humaneness of the execution method. Lee filed a lawsuit challenging Alabama’s protocol as a violation of the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, and U.S. District Judge Emily Marks ruled the method constitutional in May.

But a three-judge panel from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed her decision Monday, saying the three minutes it could take for an inmate to lose awareness is an “intolerable” time frame “given the suffering that would likely take place under Alabama’s nitrogen hypoxia protocol.”

Marks reevaluated the case and ruled again Tuesday saying Lee had shown “that the protocol constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.” The state appealed to the Supreme Court.

“If that ruling stands, it would be unprecedented in American history. Not only does it portend the first-ever permanent ban on a legislatively enacted method, but it would expand the concept of cruelty well beyond the bounds of the Eighth Amendment,” lawyers with the Alabama Attorney General’s Office wrote.

Lee’s lawyers asked the high court to keep the execution on hold, saying in a response that Alabama was asking it to intervene at the eleventh hour “to allow an execution that has been found unconstitutional to proceed.”

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Prison officials said Lee did not request a final meal Thursday but had potato chips, Skittles, water and a Sprite in the hours ahead of his possible execution. Marks did not block the state from executing Lee with one of the other approved methods, the electric chair or lethal injection. It is unclear how quickly the state could switch, however.

Alabama began using nitrogen gas to carry out some executions in 2024. The method involves strapping a respirator to a person’s face and replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas, causing death from lack of oxygen.

During the previous Alabama nitrogen executions, the inmates shook, pulled at the restraints and exhibited labored breathing. During the state’s last execution by nitrogen gas, 30 minutes elapsed between Anthony Boyd exhibiting signs of being impacted by the gas and state officials closing the curtain to the viewing room to signal the execution was complete.

The state has maintained that the method is constitutional and causes no more suffering than other execution methods.

Lee, who is currently housed at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, was convicted of two counts of capital murder for killing Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson while robbing a pawnshop on Dec. 12, 1998.

Prosecutors said Lee entered Jimmy’s Pawnshop with a sawed-off shotgun and shot Ellis, the owner, and Thompson, an employee. A jury voted 7-5 to give Lee a sentence of life imprisonment. However a judge overrode that and sentenced him to death.

Bestselling author John Grisham called on Gov. Kay Ivey to honor the jury’s decision and commute Lee’s sentence to life without parole. Grisham said in a statement: “The practice of a judge overriding a jury was declared unconstitutional and so indefensible that Alabama itself abolished it in 2017. Jeffery Lee’s jury made its decision, the Alabama Legislature later agreed that juries, not judges, should decide life or death sentences.”

Gary Henderson, 33, was jailed for 38 months after he admitted two assaults on his ex-partner in Cumbernauld.

A sheriff has warned that the courts are taking a “dim” view of domestic abusers who choke their victims.

Gary Henderson, 33, was jailed for 38 months after he admitted two assaults on his ex-partner in Cumbernauld.

Airdrie Sheriff Court heard that on one occasion he put his arm around the woman’s neck and applied pressure.

Henderson’s pal stepped in to stop the assault which happened at the woman’s then home in Ivanhoe Road on July 17 last year.

Jack Lindsay, prosecuting, said the couple had been in an on-off relationship that ended in 2022 after eight years.

After they split the woman let Henderson stay with her sometimes and on the night of this assault he turned up with a friend whom he said had been attacked.

An argument soon started and Henderson became violent. When police arrived the woman was “in distress” and had red marks on her neck.

Henderson then breached bail conditions by going to his ex-partner’s new home in Tarbolton Road, Cumbernauld on January 4.

She agreed to let him sleep on the couch but another row ended with him punching her, giving her a bloodied nose.

Henderson has been in custody since his arrest on that occasion.

Sheriff Derek Livingston backdated the 38-month sentence to January 5 and said Henderson will be under supervision for a year when he is released from prison.

He told the accused: “The courts have been taking a fairly dim view of the compression of throats recently.”

The sheriff also imposed a five-year non-harassment order.

In April the Crown Office revealed that 50 per cent of domestic abuse victims have experienced non-fatal strangulation.

A spokesman said: “It is deeply concerning that the dangerous act of strangulation is increasingly prevalent.

“This is an extreme and distressing form of control and we are determined to tackle it.”

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He said: “People who couldn’t find north Belfast on a map before this week, people who don’t care about the victim, about what happened to the community, about the young people who are now embroiled in this racist thuggery, and when they move on to their next target, it will be us here in Northern Ireland who are left to pick up the pieces.”

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after a fatal crash that took place just before 10.30pm in Thirsk town centre on Sunday night (June 7).

It happened on the Market Place, outside the Nova Bar, and involved a man and a white Mercedes A Class car.

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“Sadly, the 61-year-old local man died at the scene despite the efforts of firefighters and paramedics. We are not in a position to name him at this time,” said a spokesperson for the force.

The Market Place was closed to traffic until 6am the next day (June 8) while emergency services worked at the scene and to allow the vehicle to be safely recovered.

The driver of the Mercedes – a 46-year-old man from Darlington – is assisting the investigation.

Witnesses or anyone with relevant CCTV or dashcam footage are urged to come forward and speak to police by emailing sciu@northyorkshire.police.uk and quote reference number 12260105347

The statement said Netanyahu expressed appreciation for Trump’s commitment to work towards a final agreement that included “the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region”.

The quartet have been dubbed “York College’s Fab Four” following their success on the college’s access to higher education in humanities course for adults aged 19 or over.

Kierran Horsfield, 29, Poppy Jeavons, 22, Maurice Cooper, 22, and Isaac Lees, 20, have achieved distinction grades throughout the nine-month, full-time diploma.

The course allows students to choose to specialise in two of the three subject options: English literature, history or law.

One of two additional smaller units – politics: theory and Concepts or analysing short stories – is also selected.

Maurice Cooper (Image: Supplied)

Kierran and Maurice have accepted offers to study history at the University of Cambridge’s St Edmund’s College.

Poppy will be studying English Literature at Cambridge’s Wolfson College, while Isaac will study history and politics at Hughes Hall.

For Maurice, who left school six years ago without any GCSEs after being placed in a pupil referral unit from the age of 14, he will enrol at one of the world’s most renowned educational institutions.

He suffered from drink and drug addictions as a teenager but has been clean from both for almost four years.

St Edmund’s College (Image: Supplied)

Maurice said it had been a “big journey” to get to where he is now. “I didn’t think I would go to uni, because I didn’t have any GCSEs,” he said.

“It’s quite rare that someone doesn’t have any at all and I remember the day that my former classmates got their GCSEs and just feeling awful. Back then, I just thought I was too stupid for education.

“I did my GCSEs last year, though, and got a nine in English Literature. So after that, I had something in writing that suggested I wasn’t.

“Now, I’m going to Cambridge and I couldn’t have done it any other way than on an access course.

“I’ve never lived outside of York before and I’m from Acomb, so going from Acomb to Cambridge is going to be a change!”

‘I’ve finally got my happy ending’

Like Maurice, Poppy has an autism diagnosis and has finally prevailed in education after dropping out of her A Level studies three times due to a highly challenging set of circumstances. These included the death of a family friend she was living with during the Covid pandemic, a spell homeless and health issues.

Poppy Jeavons (Image: Supplied)

Poppy thanked her York College English literature tutor Alison Willis for supporting her, which she believes was crucial in ensuring her latest return to education had a “happy ending”.

“I had some issues in January when I got really ill and had to miss a few weeks. I thought everything was happening again and I might have to drop out, but Alison stopped that from happening,” Poppy said.

“She kept messaging me and sending me work, so I could still get my assignments done, even though I was in hospital. Now, I’ve finally got my happy ending!”

Kierran Horsfield (Image: Supplied)

Kierran, meanwhile, returned to education at York College more than a decade on from what he called the “absolutely catastrophic” experience of receiving four U (unclassified) AS Level grades at the age of 17.

He decided to give up his job as a support worker for people with brain injuries and autism-based learning difficulties to pursue a university education.

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Kierran now dreams of becoming a medieval historian. “I want to throw myself fully into history and die with like nine degrees and two University Challenge trophies!” he said.

“Before I came back to York College last summer, the only evidence I had of academic achievement was four Us at AS Level, so I was terrified handing in my first essay, but my tutors have been there 100 per cent of the way for 100 per cent of the time.”

Isaac Lees (Image: Supplied)

Isaac travelled to York College from Sheffield for the access course to fulfil his Oxbridge ambitions after his choice of A Level science subjects saw him fall short of the results required.

“I think I needed more guidance with my choices at school because I didn’t even do History GCSE and, now, I’m going to be studying it at Cambridge!” Isaac said.

“I’m very, very grateful for the standard of teaching I’ve had at York College.”

A tribute to Amy Winehouse will take place at St. James’ Stack in Newcastle, featuring a live show by performer Holly Cosgrove.

Described as “one of the most authentic Amy tribute performers,” Ms Cosgrove will perform a selection of Winehouse’s greatest hits, including Back to Black, Rehab, Valerie, You Know I’m No Good, and Tears Dry on Their Own.

The event will also highlight the genres that influenced Winehouse’s work, including soul, hip hop, jazz, and ska.

Fans will have the opportunity to enjoy food from Stack Newcastle’s lineup of street food vendors, including Brack Burger, Bao Down, Acropolis, Holy Duck, Zza Pizzeria, Texas Smoker, Tip Top, Melt, and Clucking Oinks.

The show, titled Absolute Amy, will take place on Thursday, September 17, with doors opening at 6.30pm and the performance beginning at 8pm.

Kevin Walker, events and entertainment director at Stack, said: “Few singers managed to convey raw emotion as well as Amy Winehouse did.

“In terms of both singing and songwriting she was in a class of her own but Holly is the most authentic tribute to her we’ve ever heard.

“For fans of Amy, this really will be a night they will never forget.”

Tickets are priced at £7 plus a booking fee.