Half a million people from across the public sector came out on the streets or joined picket lines in England and Wales demanding better pay and conditions in what has been described as the biggest coordinated industrial action in decades. Among those on the streets are some 300,000 teachers on …
Read More »One in five Britons eat food past use-by date as cost-of-living crisis deepens
About one in five British adults turned to eating food past its use-by date or consuming smaller portions this winter, the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority has revealed, as the cost-of-living crisis weighs heavily on people’s lives. According to a damning report published by the Office for National …
Read More »Europe could dodge a recession. But the UK is in a mess
Business activity across the 20 countries that use the euro expanded in January for the first time in six months, according to data published Tuesday, providing fresh evidence that Europe’s economy could confound expectations and dodge a recession this year. An initial reading of the eurozone’s Purchasing Managers’ Index, which …
Read More »UK crisis: Nurses stage new strikes over low pay as health service creaks
Nurses across England have launched a new round of strikes over low pay in an already disrupted public health services as inflation skyrockets. “We take strike action with a heavy, heavy heart but a clear mind about what we want to achieve,” said nurse Anna Swift before joining a picket …
Read More »Britain to introduce a law to curb strikes in key sectors
Britain will introduce legislation to ensure key public services maintain minimum safety levels during industrial action, as the government seeks to limit disruption from strikes now involving tens of thousands of workers. The government said on Thursday it would bring the bill to parliament in the coming weeks and would …
Read More »UK health regulator authorizes Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine for infants as young as 6 months
‘Expected side effects were in-keeping with what can be anticipated from the vaccine in this age group,’ regulator says Britain’s health regulator on Tuesday authorized the use of a Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for infants and children aged six months to 4 years. In a statement, the Medicines and Healthcare products …
Read More »UK faces winter of strikes as workers demand higher pay
Britain faces widespread industrial unrest in the run-up to the Christmas holiday and into January as workers struggling with double-digit inflation resort to strike action to demand better pay and working conditions. Below are some of the industries in which labour unions have undertaken or threatened strikes, echoing actions across …
Read More »NATO allies embroiled in nuclear dispute – The Times
Belgium has reportedly refused to supply the UK with a crucial component needed to maintain its nuclear arsenal A rift has emerged between Britain and Belgium after Brussels blocked the export of a component critical for maintaining the UK’s nuclear arsenal, The Times reported on Friday. In response, the UK …
Read More »Iraq and UK discuss financial cooperation on the sidelines of Manama dialogue
Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Sunday met with his British counterpart, James Cleverly, on the sidelines of the Manama dialogue 2022 in Bahrain. According to a readout issued by the Iraqi foreign ministry, the pair discussed the bilateral ties between Iraq and the United Kingdom, and Baghdad’s role in …
Read More »Britain’s budget: What you need to know
British finance minister Jeremy Hunt announced a string of tax increases and tighter public spending in a budget plan on Thursday that he said was needed after the blow dealt to the country’s fiscal reputation by former prime minister Liz Truss. Following is a snapshot of what he announced and …
Read More »UK inflation hits 41-year high as WTO warns of recession in major economies
Soaring energy, food, and transport prices drove Britain’s inflation to a new high in October, jumping to a 41-year high of 11.1 percent, squeezing households and businesses amid a warning of recession in major economies by the world trade body. The Office for National Statistics in a report on Wednesday …
Read More »UK spies constructing secret ‘terror army’ in Ukraine: Report
British intelligence operatives are reportedly working to create and train a covert terrorist force in Ukraine assigned to attack Russian targets in Crimea on behalf of the Kiev government. Citing leaked documents, the Grayzone reported that UK intelligence operatives signed an agreement with Ukraine to build the so-called “partisan” terror …
Read More »Russia accuses UK of ‘directing’ Nord Stream blasts
UK dismisses allegations as false, says they are aimed at diverting attention away from military failures in Ukraine. Russia has again accused the United Kingdom of carrying out attacks on the Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines, with Moscow saying it is considering what “further steps” to take over the alleged …
Read More »MI5 and Bank of England buildings painted orange (VIDEOS)
‘Just Stop Oil’ eco-campaigners target several buildings in London Climate activists from the ‘Just Stop Oil’ group have sprayed paint onto several major buildings in Central London, all of which “represent the pillars” supporting the fossil fuel industry, according to the group. The headquarters of the British domestic intelligence service, …
Read More »Boris Johnson or Rishi Sunak touted as UK’s next prime minister
Boris Johnson and his former finance minister Rishi Sunak were leading potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday, with candidates canvassing support to become Conservative Party leader in a fast-tracked contest. Truss, chosen by party members to succeed Johnson after he was ousted by his lawmakers …
Read More »Britons skipping meals to save money – poll
People are reportedly eating less healthily and less often, preferably at a discount, due to the rising cost of living. Millions of British households are being forced to skip meals or buy cheaper food due to the rising cost of basic products, a consumer watchdog group has said, citing a …
Read More »Liz Truss resigns after six weeks as UK prime minister
Liz Truss said on Thursday she would resign as British prime minister, brought down just six weeks into the job by an economic programme that roiled financial markets, pushed up living costs for voters, and enraged much of her own party. The Conservative Party, which holds a big majority in …
Read More »‘How’s Brexit going?’ British politics mocked at home and abroad
Britain’s political and economic turmoil has been greeted with thinly veiled satisfaction among pro-European and leftist politicians abroad, with some commentators drawing parallels to chaotic Italy. New British finance minister Jeremy Hunt will set out tax and spending measures on Monday, two weeks earlier than scheduled, as he races to …
Read More »Truss least popular UK PM in history – poll
Britain’s new leader even managed to ‘surpass’ her predecessor’s worst records, a poll has found UK Prime Minister Liz Truss’ approval rating sank to a new low of -47 in an Observer poll published on Sunday. Her popularity is lower than Boris Johnson’s was at the nadir of his political …
Read More »Truss exposes the inherent instability of Western democracies
The current turmoil in British politics can lead to disastrous consequences. It also mirrors the current state of the wider West Even fervent believers in the stability of Western democracies must surely have had their faith shaken last week by the extraordinary economic and political crises created by the newly-minted …
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