Friday briefing: rollout of Covid jabs for teens ‘haphazard’

Top story: NHS aims to immunise 35 million against the flu

Morning everyone. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories today.

Ministers have been accused of losing a grip on the Covid vaccination programme for teenagers with headteachers and parents criticising a “haphazard” rollout that is disrupting school life in England. It came as Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, admitted he had no idea how many 12- to 15-year-olds had had their jabs, with early figures suggesting the government will not hit its target of vaccinating them all by half-term. New data has shown that only 9% had been vaccinated by last Sunday, but this includes those who are either clinically vulnerable or living with people who are vulnerable and who were prioritised for vaccination earlier in the summer. Many parents are worried that their children won’t get vaccinated in time and “will be the next to get Covid”. Here’s a guide to how the scheme works and how your child can get the jab. In the US, Pfizer has asked the government to allow children aged five to 11 to receive the Covid vaccine.

Meanwhile, the NHS is aiming to immunise 35 million people against the flu this winter amid concern that it could cause 60,000 deaths. The Welsh government is drawing up plans to avoid hospitals being overwhelmed by Covid this winter. Peru, Ecuador and Colombia are among several South American countries confounded by a decision by ministers to keep them on the UK’s “red list” for proscribed travel.

Saud to the highest bidder – Human rights groups have condemned Newcastle United for selling its “name and reputation” to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in a GBP305m deal that promises to shake up English football. The new owners have set their sights on winning the Premier League and European trophies but one anti-Saudi group said English football would sell itself to “anyone”. The deal exposes the Premier League’s “faux morality”, argues our chief sports writer, while our Middle East expert says it’s driven by the Saudi regime’s thirst for status. However, there was a different mood on Tyneside, where jubilant fans gathered outside St James’ Park to celebrate the takeover deal and the promise of a “bit of hope” on the pitch, and also much-needed investment in the region.

Meat target – Britons have cut their meat consumption by 17% over the past decade but will need to double these efforts if they are to meet national food strategy targets to reduce it by 30% within the next decade. Meat production has a big environmental impact and meat eating has been linked to a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. Interestingly, people born in the 1980s and 1990s were the highest meat consumers, and those born after 1999 were the only subgroup to have increased their consumption over time.

Taiwan tension – The former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has raised fears Beijing “could lash out disastrously very soon” amid growing tensions over the future of Taiwan – and argued the US and Australia could not stand by. Speaking in Taipei earlier today, Abbott called on Beijing to “scale back the aggression” after a recent increase in incursions by military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defence zone. It comes as it emerged that the US has been secretly maintaining a small contingent of military trainers in Taiwan for at least a year, and national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he was “deeply concerned” about the situation.

Education gap – The gap between private school fees and state school spending per pupil has more than doubled in England over the past decade, with private fees now more than 90% higher than spending on state schools, a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies has revealed. A decade ago, after adjusting for inflation, the gap was just over GBP3,000 per pupil.

Power failure – The risk of power cuts to factories and homes this winter has increased, the National Grid warned, amid soaring natural gas prices that have forced up the cost of electricity. Ministers are meeting industry leaders who are concerned that they might have to shut down production. For households the crisis means the average dual fuel bill could rise by 30% next year, reaching GBP1,660.

‘Dancing grannies’ silenced – The tradition in China of gangs of mostly middle-aged and older women dancing in public spaces to very loud music has sparked a series of alarming standoffs with people seeking a bit of peace and quiet. Many are too scared to confront the “dancing grannies” and the dilemma has prompted some to seek out tech solutions. One went viral online this week: a remote stun gun-style device that claims to be able to disable a speaker from 50 metres away.

Today in Focus podcast

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen has given evidence to the US Congress and been praised for coming forward. We ask our global technology editor, Dan Milmo, if her testimony will help to bring the social media giant to heel.

Lunchtime read: Tears for Fears let it all out

Their 80s hits such as Everybody Wants To Rule The World have come back into fashion, and now the synth-pop dup Tears for Fears have put their personal differences behind them to make a new album. Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal tell Laura Barton about starting out in the 80s, loss, and the power of reconciliation.

Sport

Belgium squandered a 2-0 lead in the Nations League semi-final as goals from Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Theo Hernandez gave France a thrilling 3-2 victory. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian ahead of his third fight with Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury has talked about why speaking out on mental health was one of his finest achievements.

Azeem Rafiq has accused Yorkshire of protecting the people who abused him during his two spells at the club by refusing to publish their names or the report that eventually forced the county to admit that Rafiq had been “the victim of racial harassment” during his time at Headingley. As Emma Raducanu prepares to return to competition in Indian Wells, she is already looking past her victory in New York and her early success has only reinforced her determination to achieve even more. Lewis Hamilton and his Formula One title rival Max Verstappen have insisted they are not feeling any pressure as their tight world drivers’ championship fight ramps up to a tense run-in. And horses trained and entered to race in Britain must be signed out of the human food chain in their passports from 1 January 2022, in a significant change to the Rules of Racing.

Business

The US Senate has approved legislation to temporarily raise the federal government’s $28.4tn debt limit and avoid the risk of a default that could have stopped government payments and thrown the country into recession. Elon Musk has announced that Tesla will move its headquarters from California to Texas where it is also building a new factory. Musk blames high house prices in the Bay Area that mean long commute times for staff and says the move would give its employees more flexibility about where and how they work. Ireland has dropped its controversial, ultra-low corporate tax rate of 12.5% after long negotiations with the OECD. The FTSE100 looks like opening flat while the pound is on $1.360 and EUR1.168.

The papers

The prospect of a flu epidemic this winter is a concern for some with the Telegraph lead saying “Flu deaths may reach 60,000, say experts” and Mirror declaring “Now for the flu war”. The Guardian splash is “Coronavirus report in 2016 warned of need for tracing and more PPE”, while the Times has “PCR tests for travellers ditched before half-term”. The main story in the i is “Travel opens up for winter sun”.

The Mail warns “Here comes your GBP2,000 energy bill” and the Express has the same concern: “Soaring prices shock for millions”. The FT has a more global take on the same subject with “Central bankers voice inflation fears”. The Daily Record says “Don’t blame docs for A&E crisis” and it’s a similar story in the Herald: “Thousands more under-5s receive hospital treatment”.

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