BBC News York & North Yorkshire

A major road has been closed in North Yorkshire following a medical emergency, National Highways says.

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All lanes are currently closed on the southbound carriageway of the A1(M) between junction 49 (Dishforth) and junction 48 (Minskip).

The northbound carriageway between junction 48 and junction 49 was also closed for a time to allow the Air Ambulance to land.

This section has now re-opened, according to North Yorkshire Police.

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There are long delays in the area, with motorists being advised to find an alternative route if possible.

National Highways says normal traffic conditions are expected between 13:30 and 13:45.

A CCTV image has been released after a supermarket security guard was assaulted in York.

North Yorkshire PoliceCopyright: North Yorkshire Police

The guard was attacked by someone using a shopping basket, causing cuts to his face and ear in Morrisons, Acomb, just after 18:00 on 30 November, according to North Yorkshire Police.

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Officers believe the man in the image has information about the assault.

Anyone who recognises him is asked to contact police.

The Covid vaccination site at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground looks set to remain open into the New Year as the booster programme is ramped up in response to the Omicron variant.

Reuters/Lee SmithCopyright: Reuters/Lee Smith

NHS officials are in talks with the Yorkshire Event Centre, which delivered around 1,300 jabs when it reopened as a vaccine site on Monday.

The site initially planned to close on 22 December, but it now looks set to remain open for longer after the government announced an extension to the booster programme with all over-18s due to be offered a third jab by the end of January.

Heather Parry, managing director of the Yorkshire Event Centre, said talks with the NHS had been positive and that it was now “finalising details” for an extension of the site.

She said: "We are proud to have worked with the NHS throughout the pandemic and we will continue to support them.

“We are finalising details with the NHS about continuing to offer a vaccination centre here in the New Year and will work with them to ensure the public are updated as soon as possible."

The showground was used as a vaccine site earlier in the pandemic and has set an aim of delivering 20,000 jabs before 22 December.But if an extension is agreed, it is likely to surpass that target by some distance as all adults are offered a third dose.

The government has confirmed an eighth outbreak of bird flu in the Thirsk area.

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It comes as the UK's chief veterinary officer says there is currently a "phenomenal" level of avian flu in the country.

Thousands of birds have been culled, but the risk to humans is said to be low.

Earlier this week another two cases of bird flu were confirmed in North Yorkshire.

This latest outbreak brings the total number of cases to 11 in North Yorkshire, as well as one in East Yorkshire.

The Department for Food and Rural Affairs said an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone came into force across Great Britain on 3 November.

It requires bird owners to follow strict biosecurity measures to limit the spread of the disease.

This morning will be largely dry and fine with some patchy cloud.

It will continue dry this afternoon, with cloud continuing to build in Yorkshire, but turning brighter with clear skies in Lincolnshire.

Tonight a band of rain will move eastwards. In the early hours clear spells will develop and it will turn dry for most:

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An appeal's been launched after a woman was punched and kicked in an attack outside a pub in a village near York.

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The woman and a man were attacked at the back of the Half Moon pub in Strensall between 00:45 and 01:00 on Saturday 27 November, according to North Yorkshire Police.

A spokesperson for the force said: "The suspect threw something at the man’s head and punched the woman in the face and pushed her to the floor, kicking her while she was down. The suspect then walked away.

"The female victim received a cut to her face and bruising to her side in the incident. The man wasn't injured."

A man in his 40s has been arrested in connection with this incident and released on bail, the force has confirmed.

Anyone who saw what happened is being asked to contact police.

Officers are also appealing for the owner of a light coloured SUV style vehicle which is believed to have been in the area at the time to get in touch.

Great crested newts are among a series of unforeseen problems causing delays to a major junction improvement project on the A1(M) in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire County CouncilCopyright: North Yorkshire County Council

The scheme at junction 47, Allerton park interchange, is also set to cost considerably more than the original £7.7m budget.

North Yorkshire County Council says the challenges encountered on the complex project have inevitably increased the cost, which was approximately £10m in September.

The authority says unforeseen poor ground conditions has significantly restricted the speed of work, as well as the discovery of great crested newts as they legally had to be relocated.

The project has been supported by £2.47m from the government’s Local Growth Fund, secured by the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, along with contributions from the County Council, National Highways and developer Forward Investment LLP.

Today will be a rather dull and cloudy day, with just a few sunny spells.

There will be patchy rain at times throughout the day and moderate to fresh breezes.

This evening any lingering rain will ease to be followed by a drier night:

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North Yorkshire's new Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner will remain in her other roles as county and borough councillor until the next election in May 2022, she has confirmed.

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Conservative Zoe Metcalfe said she would not quit North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council in a move which would trigger a by-election, but would begin “standing down” from most of her responsibilities.

A spokesperson for her office said she "intends to devote herself full time to the role of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner".

They added: "She is standing down from – or, as far as possible, arranging substitutes for – her other roles and activities, including any committee and sub-committee responsibilities connected with her roles as an elected member of Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

"As she has already made clear, commissioner Metcalfe will be relinquishing her council seats at the next election in 2022 – avoiding the need for by-elections in the meantime."

Ms Metcalfe is the third Conservative to take on the £74,000-salary role since it was created in 2012, and won with 41,760 of the first and second-preference votes in a by-election last month.

Children living in the north of England face worse health and educational outcomes following the coronavirus pandemic than youngsters elsewhere in the country, a report has warned.

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

The research involving more than 40 academics, titled Child of the North, found children in the north of England have a 27% chance of living in poverty compared to 20% in the rest of the country.

Infant mortality and childhood obesity is also higher in the North, the research suggests.

One of the authors of the report, Professor Kate Pickett, from the University of York, said: "The pandemic has been hardest on those already in poverty and deprivation.

"And in the North, many of our lockdown restrictions continued for longer than in other places .

"We now risk there being a generation of children in the North whose life trajectory is put off course."

In a statement, the Department for Education said to make up for learning lost during the pandemic it was "supporting the most disadvantaged, vulnerable or those with the least time left in education - wherever they live".