logo
UK households have been issued alert to stockpile AA batteries as WW3 fears rise

UK households have been issued alert to stockpile AA batteries as WW3 fears rise

Yahooa day ago

UK households have been urged to stockpile both AA and AAA batteries as ministers are sounding the alarm bells over the escalating conflicts in the world.
In a new security strategy published on Tuesday, ministers said the UK now finds itself in 'an era in which we face confrontation with those who are threatening our security'.
The strategy stated: 'Some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict, positioning themselves to move quickly to cause major disruption to our energy and or supply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression.
Read more: What to do in the first 10 minutes of a nuclear attack if WW3 breaks out
'For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario.'
To help with this preparedness, the UK's Prepare website was set up many years ago to offer guidance and expertise to Brits in case of times of crisis.
One of these crises include 'war in our homeland'.
Labour party ministers previously said the UK should "actively prepare for the possibility of the UK coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario".
One of the main things Prepare.gov.uk encourages is that UK households stockpile goods and devices, such as AA/AAA batteries for radios, spare mobile phone battery backs and battery power for any medical equipment.
The UK Prepare website says: 'Get prepared for emergencies. Emergencies happen every day in the UK and across the world.
"They can be caused by severe weather or other natural hazards, by deliberate actions, or as a result of accidents or infrastructure failure.
'They can be events that happen quickly and are over in a few hours, or they can develop and continue over the course of several days, months, or sometimes even longer.
'Consider what supplies you and your household might need during an emergency lasting a few days, such as a power cut or water outage, or situations where you are advised to stay at home or to leave your home (evacuate) for safety reasons.
'It can be helpful to keep these items in one place in your home and ideally somewhere easy to find if the lights aren't working – if you are escaping your house due to a fire you should not take anything with you at all.
"You could consider keeping items you might need to take with you if asked to leave your home quickly in a spare bag – you might hear some people call this a 'grab bag'."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nuclear waste near nature reserve plan ongoing
Nuclear waste near nature reserve plan ongoing

Yahoo

time29 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Nuclear waste near nature reserve plan ongoing

Residents and politicians have hit out at plans to allow radioactive waste to be disposed of at a landfill site near a nature reserve and town. The site, on Huntsman Drive in Port Clarence, Stockton, run by Augean, already disposes of a range of hazardous waste but requires permission to deal with nuclear material. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said the plans were wrong in 2019 when they were first put to the Environment Agency (EA) and were "still wrong now". But Augean said risk assessments demonstrated the proposals "would not harm people in the local area or the environment". The EA previously asked for more information about the plan in September 2020 and it has now opened a public consultation, which will close on 4 August. Lord Houchen said: "We absolutely want new nuclear power and we are working hard to deliver this - but I will not allow Teesside to be seen as a dumping ground for the country's waste. "I will continue to stand firmly against any plan, and I urge everyone to make their voices heard loud and clear in this consultation." An Augean spokesperson said there had been an ongoing exchange of information with the EA since submitting the application in 2019, including a "wide range of risk assessments" which "demonstrate the proposals would not harm people in the local area or the environment in the short or long term". "The determination process involves complex and rigorous scrutiny of the application, requiring a significant amount of technical input from Augean and EA," the spokesperson added. They said Augean was committed to working with the local community to help them gain a better understanding and feel more confident about the safety of the proposed project. An open day will be held at the site on 15 July from 15:00 to 19:00 BST. Stockton North MP Chris McDonald said he had been contacted by a number of concerned residents about the renewed proposal. He said: "People across Stockton, Billingham and Norton have made it clear in the past that our area should not be used to dump waste that others do not want. "While the EA is reviewing a revised safety case, it is vital that local communities are fully heard." Councillor Sue Little from Seaton Carew said that she thought the idea was "very worrying" and feared local flooding could pose a contamination risk. The EA said it welcomed new comments on the revised plan. Gary Wallace, area environment manager, said: "It's important the community has the opportunity to review the revised environmental safety case, which has changed significantly since the original public consultation. "Our technical assessment is ongoing and once we have reviewed the documents and information from the consultation we will make a draft decision on the application." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Consultation opens on radioactive waste proposal Vacuum found in nuclear vault never meant to open Environment Agency

Welfare cuts are dangerous, campaigner says
Welfare cuts are dangerous, campaigner says

Yahoo

time29 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Welfare cuts are dangerous, campaigner says

A disability campaigner said personal independence payments (Pip) were "not a gift" and called proposed changes to them "dangerous and unacceptable". Crips Against Cuts Northants was formed in March after the government proposed changes to the welfare bill which would have made it harder for people to claim the payments. On Tuesday MPs will vote on the issue, after the prime minister was forced into a u-turn over concerns the cuts were rushed and would hurt vulnerable people. Charlie Lincoln said: "What they are really doing is condemning future disabled people... they will be receiving less support for no reason other than timing." Ms Lincoln from Northampton, has multiple health conditions including autism, ADHD and Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Without the payments, the 29-year-old said she would struggle with expenses including transport, carers fees and maintaining the house she rents. She has been made homeless twice and worries that without the payments, this could happen again. The reforms are designed to reduce the overall working-age welfare bill by about £5bn a year by the end of the decade. The benefit, which is paid to people with a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, is set to be reduced by 50% in cash terms for new claimants from April 2026. Speaking at a conference in north Wales, Sir Keir Starmer said fixing a "broken" benefits system needed to be done because it was "failing people every day". He said: "Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way." Whereas Bowie, 17, who is autistic, ADHD and has undiagnosed poly cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), they believe the cuts are "extremely dangerous and are going to hurt thousands of people". While Pip aims to create a level playing field, they think this will create a two-tier system. They said: "It's ridiculous for the average person to understand the system. "It's been extremely stressful not knowing if my government, a Labour government at that, are going to stop us from living like the rest of society, it's a very scary feeling... trying to remain optimistic that we can change it is a struggle to say the least." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Welfare concessions to be set out before key vote Starmer says fixing welfare is a 'moral imperative' How much will the government's planned welfare cuts save?

Landmark EU tech rules holding back innovation, Google says
Landmark EU tech rules holding back innovation, Google says

Yahoo

time30 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Landmark EU tech rules holding back innovation, Google says

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Alphabet's Google will on Tuesday warn EU antitrust regulators and its critics that landmark European Union rules aimed at reining in Big Tech are hampering innovation to the detriment of European users and businesses. The U.S. tech giant will also urge regulators to give more detailed guidance to help it comply with the rules, and ask its critics to provide evidence of costs and benefits to prove their case. Google is under pressure to address charges under the EU's Digital Markets Act that it favours its own services such as Google Shopping, Google Hotels and Google Flights over rivals. The charges may result in fines of as much as 10% of its global annual revenue. Earlier this month, Google proposed more changes to its search results to better showcase rival products, but critics say these still do not ensure a level playing field. "We remain genuinely concerned about real world consequences of the DMA, which are leading to worse online products and experiences for Europeans," Google's lawyer Clare Kelly will tell a workshop organised by the European Commission to give Google critics the opportunity to seek clarifications. She will say changes implemented by Google to date after discussions with the Commission and its critics have resulted in European users paying more for travel tickets as they cannot directly access airline sites, according to a copy of her speech seen by Reuters. Kelly will also say European airlines, hotels and restaurants have reported up to a 30% loss in direct booking traffic, while users have complained about clunky workarounds. Google's other lawyer, Oliver Bethell, will ask regulators to spell out in detail what the company needs to do, and critics to come up with hard evidence. "If we can understand precisely what compliance looks like, not just in theory, but taking account of on the ground experience, we can launch compliant services quickly and confidently across the EEA," he will say. The EEA is the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. "We need help identifying the areas where we should focus. That means bringing real evidence of costs and benefits that we can take account of with the Commission," Bethell said. The day-long workshop starts at 0700 GMT. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store