Page 29 - Uk

Nurses demand better pay in biggest strike action in UK service history

Nurses employed in the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS), many of them Indian, are joining picket lines up and down the country on Thursday in the biggest strikes in history to demand better pay and working conditions amid a cost-of-living crisis. Up to 100,000 nursing staff are taking part in strikes in England, Northern Ireland and Wales in protest against what they say is years of real-terms pay cuts due to inflation and concerns over patient safety. A further day of strike action is also planned for next Tuesday. "For many of us, this is our first time striking and our emotions are really mixed. The NHS is in crisis, the nursing profession can't take any more, our loved ones are already suffering, said Pat Cullen, General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). "It is not unreasonable to demand better. This is not something that can wait. We are committed to our patients and always will be, she said. RCN has been campaigning for a pay

Taking Fed lead, Bank of England and ECB raise rates by 50 basis points

Britain's central bank on Thursday raised its key interest rate again but toned down the pace as inflation shows signs of easing, mirroring action by the US Federal Reserve and ahead of an anticipated identical move by European policymakers. The Bank of England raised the benchmark rate by half a percentage point, to 3.5 per cent, the highest level in 14 years. It was the ninth consecutive increase since December 2021 and follows last month's outsized three-quarter point hike, the biggest in 30 years. This time, officials opted for less aggressive action after data this week showed inflation slipped from a 41-year high, but they warned that more hikes are likely to come. The bank last month forecast a prolonged recession in the UK and consumer price inflation staying very high in the near term. Should that scenario play out, further rate increases may be required for a sustainable return of inflation" to its 2 per cent target, bank's Monetary Policy Committee said. There are ...

Nirav Modi loses bid to go to UK Supreme Court against extradition to India

Fugitive jeweller and designer had fled India in early 2018, days before the details of his alleged role in large-scale fraud at the Punjab National Bank became public

UK, France, UAE support India's bid for permanent membership at UNSC

The UK, France and UAE on Wednesday (local time) extended support for India's permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

UK inflation falls from 41-yr high to 10.7% in Nov giving relief to BoE

British inflation fell more sharply than expected in November to 10.7% from October's 41-year high of 11.1%, according to official consumer prices data

India and UK look to fast-track free trade agreement negotiations

Sixth round of negotiations begins in New Delhi after a four-month hiatus

UK's economy rebounds by 0.5% in Oct but recession fears still loom

The British economy is estimated to have grown by 0.5 per cent between September and October, statistics showed, but a lengthy recession is still expected in the UK

UK manufacturers are sitting on a $29 bn pile of unfinished goods

The poll showed 72% of the 631 companies in Britain are facing the inventory logjam tied to a lack of components, materials or ingredients

UK braces for 2 yrs of recession as manufacturing sector shrinks by over 4%

The UK's manufacturing sector shrank by more than 4% this year, a survey found, with predictions of another sharp decline in 2023

UK, Italy, Japan team up to build sixth-generation fighter by 2035

Reports indicate the UK held talks with India on joining the coalition

Japan to jointly develop fighter jet with UK to expand defence cooperation

Japan announced on Friday that it will jointly develop its next-generation fighter jet with the UK and Italy as Tokyo looks to expand defence cooperation beyond its traditional ally, the United States. The Mitsubishi F-X fighter jet will replace the aging fleet of F-2 that Japan previously developed with the United States. Japan's F-X and Britain's Tempest, a successor to the Eurofighter Typhoon, will be combined into the next-generation combat aircraft for deployment in 2035. The deal will give Japan greater support in countering China's growing assertiveness and allow Britain a bigger presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Friday's fighter jet announcement came four days after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced spending targets aimed at building up Japan's military capability, including a huge boost in defence spending over the next five years. To meet the five-year spending total of 43 trillion yen (USD 316 billion), the government will need an extra 4 trillion yen (USD 30 ..

UK's cost-of-living pressures stir push for more free meals in schools

As the school bell rings, dozens of children begin filing into the canteen at Hillstone Primary School. The day's offering, a roast dinner, is a popular one, and many are eager to tuck into their plates of turkey slices, roasted potatoes, broccoli and gravy. For some children in this area of suburban Birmingham, central England, where many families are low income, it may be the only nutritious hot meal in a day. Some students eating sandwiches from their lunchboxes instead say they get one hot lunch a week, but they would like more. My mum says it costs a bit more, one girl said last week. Free school lunches are provided for all 4- to 7-year-olds in England, but most parents of older children have to pay about 2.20 pounds (USD 2.70) a day for their child to have a cooked meal. That may sound like a small amount, but charities and teachers say it's becoming increasingly unaffordable for hundreds of thousands of families struggling to cope with the United Kingdom's worst cost-of-livi

Japan to jointly develop 'next-genenration' fighter jet with UK, Italy

Japan announced on Friday that it will jointly develop its next-generation fighter jet with the UK and Italy as Tokyo looks to expand defence cooperation beyond its traditional ally, the United States. The Mitsubishi F-X fighter jet will replace the aging fleet of F-2 that Japan previously developed with the United States. Japan's F-X and Britain's Tempest, a successor to the Eurofighter Typhoon, will be combined into the next-generation combat aircraft for deployment in 2035. The deal will give Japan greater support in countering China's growing assertiveness and allow Britain a bigger presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Friday's fighter jet announcement came four days after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced spending targets aimed at building up Japan's military capability, including a huge boost in defence spending over the next five years. To meet the five-year spending total of 43 trillion yen (USD 316 billion), the government will need an extra 4 trillion yen (USD 30 ..

UK braces for Christmas disruptions as union workers' strikes extend

The wave of union strikes that has hit the UK since early December appears to continue unabated, and the labour actions now also threaten traffic at the country's airports and railway stations

UK universities lure Indian students with 'bring your family' offer: Report

Universities in the UK are paying education agents that recruit Indian students to lure them with an offer, which allows them to bring along their families to the country, a media report said

Woman slips into coma after AstraZeneca vaccine dose against Covid-19

Diagnosed with rare, serious condition

Statsguru: Six charts explain India's global economic growth standing

A Business Standard analysis found that the country mirrored the global trend, with the rate of growth slowing from the same quarter last year

Britain nears bottom of the heap for economic growth potential: Economist

Potential output, a mixture of productivity and workforce growth, is a measure of how fast an economy can expand before generating inflation

I have experienced racism in my life, says UK PM Rishi Sunak

When asked about the controversy, Sunak said it would not be right for him to comment on palace matters and pointed out that action had been taken

UK Opposition Labour Party wins by-election in electoral blow to PM Sunak

In a poll outcome perceived as the first electoral test of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's leadership, the Opposition Labour Party won an important by-election with an increased margin in a north-west England constituency on Friday. Samantha Dixon retained the Chester seat for Labour with 17,309 votes, a 61 per cent share and nearly 11,000 more than her Conservative Party rival. While Labour was expected to win the seat vacated following the resignation of a scandal-hit incumbent, the bigger margin is being seen as a public vote against the governing Tories. Labour leader Keir Starmer said the result showed people are fed up with the Conservative government. It marks the worst result for the Conservatives in Chester since 1832, with candidate Liz Wardlaw getting 6,335 votes or 22.4 per cent. "People in Chester and across our country are really worried," said Dixon, dubbing her win as a resounding mandate for Labour. "This is the cost of 12 years of Conservative government. Th