Why doctors are striking … again – podcast pred 1 dnevom, 18 urami in 7 minutami When Labour came to power it moved fast to end the public sector strikes. But now resident doctors are demanding a 29% rise in pay. Will they get it and will it put Labour’s plans for the NHS at risk? Denis Campbell reportsWhen Labour came into power they agreed to give resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, a 22% rise over two years to end their strikes. They then turned their attention to updating the NHS, unveiling an ambitious 10-year plan to change the way the system is run. But now doctors have gone back to the ballot box.The Guardian’s health policy editor, Denis Campbell, tells Helen Pidd that the British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors’ union, says the value of their salaries has dropped 29% since 2008 thanks to inflation and serial low pay rises. They want this restored. But with public finances more stretched than ever, Wes Streeting is unlikely to accede. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Maurene Comey: prosecutor in Jeffrey Epstein case fired by DoJ, sources say pred 1 dnevom, 19 urami in 50 minutami AP reports daughter of former FBI director James Comey terminated – but no specific reason given for decisionThe justice department has fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey and a prosecutor in the federal cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein, two people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Wednesday.There was no specific reason given for her firing from the US attorney’s office in the southern district of New York, according to one of the people who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fire destroys main stage at Belgium’s Tomorrowland festival on eve of opening pred 1 dnevom, 19 urami in 57 minutami Blaze came a day before thousands of electronic dance music fans were set to descend on the Belgian eventThe main stage of the Tomorrowland music festival near Antwerp was totally destroyed by fire on Wednesday, a day before thousands of electronic dance music lovers were due to arrive at the Belgian event.There were no injuries, organisers said, insisting they would still go ahead with the festival over the next two weekends. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nicotine pouches sold to children mimic sweets, says UK trading standards body pred 1 dnevom, 21 urami in 6 minutami Children can buy pouches legally as they are not regulated as a specific tobacco or nicotine productNicotine pouches are being legally sold to children and are being made appealing to them with special flavours and packaging mimicking sweets, a trading standards body has said.In June, it became illegal for single-use vapes to be sold in England to tackle their widespread use by children. However, there is currently no legislation that restricts the age at which you can buy nicotine pouches. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ministers urged to overhaul and raise carer’s allowance pred 1 dnevom, 21 urami in 6 minutami Resolution Foundation says unpaid carers on low incomes pay ‘very heavy price’ for looking after loved onesThe carer’s allowance benefit should be overhauled and the basic rate of payment increased to lift more unpaid carers and disabled people out of financial hardship, according to a living standards thinktank.The Resolution Foundation said unpaid carers on low incomes were paying a “very heavy price” – a typical penalty of 10% or as much as £7,000 a year compared with non-carers – for looking after loved ones full-time. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
MPs to tighten laws allowing foreign donations to influence UK elections pred 1 dnevom, 21 urami in 6 minutami Exclusive: changes will end illegitimate funding via shell firms and subject donors to enhanced tests, backed by stronger finesMinisters are planning to close loopholes that could allow foreign money to influence UK elections, with a crackdown on illegitimate donations through shell companies and new tests on political donors.As part of a push to tighten up electoral law, the government will on Thursday announce a series of measures to ensure donations come from allowable UK sources. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tsunami advisory issued in parts of Alaska after 7.3-magnitude earthquake pred 1 dnevom, 21 urami in 9 minutami Noaa initially issued a tsunami warning in the state’s southern coast, which it later downgraded to an advisoryA stretch of Alaska’s southern coast was under a tsunami advisory on Wednesday after a strong earthquake was felt throughout the region.The US Geological Survey described the earthquake as a magnitude 7.3. After the quake, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a tsunami warning, which it later downgraded to an advisory. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer and Merz to sign UK–Germany treaty targeting smuggling gangs and boosting defence ties pred 1 dnevom, 22 urami in 37 minutami New bilateral deal includes deeper industrial and security cooperation after Brexit and amid global instabilityKeir Starmer will welcome Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to Downing Street on Thursday to sign a new bilateral treaty that promises tighter action on smuggling gangs, expanded defence exports and closer industrial ties between the UK and Germany.The bilateral friendship and cooperation treaty marks the latest phase of Starmer’s bid to rebuild Britain’s influence in Europe – without reopening formal ties with the EU. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ministers to enshrine UK charities’ right to peaceful protest in new ‘covenant’ pred 1 dnevom, 22 urami in 37 minutami Agreement between government and voluntary sector aims to reset relations after erosion of trust under ToriesThe right to engage in political activity and protest peacefully is to be enshrined in a new agreement between the government and UK charities and campaigners aimed in part at ending years of damaging “culture wars”.The agreement is intended to reset relations between government and the voluntary sector after years of mutual distrust during which Conservative ministers limited public rights to protest, froze out campaigners, and targeted “woke” charities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘There’s a bit of a queue forming’: how UK firms are enticing buyers for the next generation of fighter jets pred 1 dnevom, 22 urami in 37 minutami Inside the hangars where robots are poised to keep the UK a top-tier military nation and continue more than a century of building military aircraftIn a factory on the banks of the River Ribble in Lancashire, robot arms stand on a floor striped with glowing lights. They will hold the tail fin for a test model for the UK’s next generation fighter jet, which is intended to fly for the first time in 2027. The jet, known as Tempest, will act as a symbol of Britain’s hopes to remain a top-tier military nation and keep alive more than a century of building military aircraft.Yet things are markedly different in another hangar at the Warton site, run by British arms manufacturer BAE Systems. There, production of the Typhoon jet, a mainstay of the Royal Air Force (RAF) for two decades, has – for now at least – ground to a halt. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
