United Kingdom

Two male bodies have been recovered from the River Thames as police search for a suspect who severely injured a “vulnerable” woman and her two young daughters in a chemical assault.

Neither body was identified as that of Abdul Ezedi, who has been on the run since the attack on 31 January in Clapham, south London. He was last seen walking “with purpose” to Chelsea Bridge in west London and was captured on CCTV leaning over the railings of the bridge on the night of the attack.

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The bodies of two men were pulled from the river on Saturday, and both deaths are being treated by police as “unexpected pending further inquiries”.

It is understood they were found not as a direct result of the search operation for 35-year-old Ezedi.

The international tech firm, which is under intense scrutiny, was awarded around £1.4bn worth of deals since a 2019 High Court ruling concluding there had been numerous bugs and errors in its Horizon IT system.

More than £2bn worth of contracts were agreed before 2019 and remained active in the following period, the Commons Treasury Committee said.

The committee - which examines Treasury expenditure and policy - wrote to organisations last month including HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England (BoE) demanding details of their agreements with Fujitsu.

MPs called for the revelation of contracts after the boss of Fujitsu in Europe admitted that staff knew of faults in Horizon as far back as 1999.

The committee reported all three spent considerable sums with Fujitsu Services Ltd or Fujitsu Global-owned entities

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The committee had asked them whether Fujitsu's role in the Horizon scandal was considered during the tendering process and if they thought about ending the deals in light of the controversy.

It said the only response received was about a possible termination from the FCA which confirmed it considered closing a contract with the firm due to poor performance but decided to keep its services.

Investigators asked the Treasury which figures Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott was using and they were given the OBR forecasts for debt including the Bank of England's balance sheet.

That figure is predicted to go up next year before falling in each of the following four years, which means it would be lower in 2028-29 than it is now.

But that is not the measure of debt that the government uses for its debt pledge, which is what Ms Trott was being asked about in a recent interview.

The reason you might exclude the Bank of England is that some of its activities to support the economy have involved temporary increases in debt, which are not really in the control of the government.

The documents accompanying the Autumn Budget in 2021 said: "excluding the Bank of England's contributions to public sector net debt... better reflects the impact of government decisions".

So on the measure of debt that the government uses for its own targets, it is not right to say that debt is falling or that it will be lower in five years than it is today.

Labour's shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said: "Laura Trott, Jeremy Hunt's number two, doesn't even know the basic facts of her job."

Talking about the debt today, Rishi Sunak said it was "on schedule" to fall.

A recent poll found that 22% of UK voters are still not aware that they will need to carry a form of photographic ID, which is a requirement after Rishi Sunak’s Government brought in a new law forcing voters to carry one of a limited number of approved IDs in order to vote.

The legislation was rushed through despite almost no evidence of in-person voting fraud in the UK.

Parcel delivery firm Yodel has said it is in the "final stages" of talks over options for the company amid concern over its future.

The company, which employs about 10,000 people, said discussions with "interested parties" were ongoing and "constructive".

Reports suggest the firm is looking for a buyer, and that it could call in administrators if one is not found.

Yodel said its "operations continue without any disruption".

The firm is owned by the Barclay family and one of its largest clients is online retailer Very, which is also owned by the Barclays.

On Wednesday, Sky reported that the Barclay family was urgently seeking a buyer for Yodel, with The Delivery Group among the possible suitors.

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Yodel is one of the biggest courier companies in the UK. Last year, it delivered 191 million parcels, with revenues up 3.4%.

However, last year Citizens Advice rated Yodel as the joint worst of the largest five UK courier firms. Along with Evri, it was given an overall score of two points out of five.

According to Yodel's website the company works with retailers such as Zara, JD Sports and John Lewis, although the BBC understands that the firm only delivers a small percentage of John Lewis goods.

Retail analyst Catherine Shuttleworth told the BBC that the market for delivering parcels was "incredibly competitive, it's really cut-throat".

"Yodel have got stuck in a place where they're a small player in what has become a very, very big market," she said.

However, if Yodel left the market she does not think retailers will have a problem finding alternative couriers.

"They'll swap to an alternative supplier, the market is full of them. They'll very easily shift their volume to somebody else."

The queue meandered into the distance, past offices, flats and houses; there were hundreds waiting, shoulder to shoulder, old and young.

But this patient crowd were not tennis fans outside Wimbledon or mourning the loss of a monarch or hoping to purchase a bottle of Prime – they were trying to register for an NHS dentist in England in 2024.

"Starting 11 March 2024, the price of Ring Protect Basic will change from £34.99/year to £49.99/year per device. If you would like to keep your current plan, no further action is required. Your plan will renew at the new price, unless you cancel your subscription before your next renewal on or after 11 March 2024."

Arse clowns.