Scottish NHS pay offer ‘sends powerful message’ to rest of UK
The latest NHS pay offer in Scotland “sends a really powerful message” to other UK countries about what can be achieved through direct pay negotiations, Unison Scotland’s co-lead for health has said. He said: “We welcome the fact that Scottish Government have tabled an offer so soon into the financial pay year. Scotland is the first UK country to table a pay offer for 2025-26. In contrast, England, Wales and Northern Ireland are all facing delays waiting for recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) before an offer can be made. Mr McLaughlin said the deal in Scotland “sends a really powerful message” to the other UK countries about the benefits of direct negotiations.
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 15:32 UTC
Everton expect Manchester United target Jarrad Branthwaite to leave Goodison Park this summer - Paper Talk
THE SUNManchester United have been put on alert with Everton expecting to lose Jarrad Branthwaite this summer. Image: Manchester United have been put on alert with Everton expecting to lose Jarrad Branthwaite this summerEthan Nwaneri has been lined up for a huge pay rise after Arsenal opened talks over a new contract for the teen sensation. A Manchester United fan who is charged with assaulting Manchester City ace Jack Grealish at the end of Sunday's Manchester derby has been banned from Old Trafford. DAILY MAILThomas Tuchel has taken to personally letting English players know when he is attending their Premier League game in person out of courtesy. SCOTTISH SUNGreg Taylor's future remains up in the air, with his Celtic contract set to expire in the summer.
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 15:04 UTC
'Battling genocide': Hamas asks UK to remove it from 'terrorist list'
Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, urged the British government to revoke its designation of the group as a terrorist organisation.In a detailed witness statement, submitted to a British court this week, Marzouk argued that the offensive was aimed towards military targets and that majority of civilians were targeted by non Hamas members.Marzouk described Hamas as “a Palestinian Islamic liberation and resistance movement whose goal is to liberate Palestine and confront the Zionist project,” Times of Israel reported, quoting Drop Site News outlet. He also insisted that the group's actions do not pose any threat to the United Kingdom.The group is represented by a legal team from Riverway Law, pro bono, due to the legal restrictions on financial transactions. He also reaffirmed Hamas’s uncompromising position on the conflict, “Hamas rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea,” a position that implies the dissolution of Israel.Taking hostages, which is considered a crime against humanity, remains a key point of discussion as Hamas and other militant groups are still believed to be holding 59 hostages taken during the October 7 attack.According to Hamas’s health ministry in Gaza, over 50,000 people have been killed or are missing since the conflict began, though the figure remained unverified and did not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 combatants in Gaza and an additional 1,600 Hamas fighters during the October 7 incursion.Israel maintained that it seeks to minimise civilian casualties and accuses Hamas of deliberately operating within civilian areas such as hospitals, schools, and residential buildings to shield itself from attacks.Responding to the legal challenge, shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel told the Guardian, “Hamas is an evil Iranian-backed terrorist organization, which kidnaps, tortures and murders people, including British nationals.”The UK designated Hamas as an “Islamist terrorist group” in November 2021. Its military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, had been banned since 2001, but the designation was expanded to include its political wing.
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 14:06 UTC
Head of British military visits China for first time in a decade
The head of Britain’s armed forces has visited China to hold talks on security in an “unstable world” in the first trip by a chief of defence staff in a decade. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin discussed “strengthening military co-operation”, Beijing said. He gave an unprecedented speech to future Chinese military commanders at the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) National Defence University in Beijing on Wednesday. Radakin also held talks with General Liu Zhenli, a member of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of staff of the CMC joint staff department, Beijing confirmed, amid an escalating trade war between the US and China. According to China’s defence ministry, “the two sides
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 13:59 UTC
Tiny UK village visitors only ever pass through named best place to live
Maenclochog (pronounced ‘mine-cloch-og’) is a small village located in the northern part of the county that is certainly worth a detour. As reported by WalesOnline, the village was recently named one of the best places to live in the UK by The Times and taking in its impressive landscape, it’s no surprise as to why. But the drive is not too long, if you are travelling from Cardiff you can reach the village within two hours. For instance, researchers have found what are believed to be the remains of a 13th-century castle in the village. Additionally, a tunnel just outside the village has become notorious for its strategic used during the Second World War.
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 12:57 UTC
Times letters: Trump and the future of democracy in the US
Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, President Trump is wrong. The reason US jobs have gone overseas is nothing to do with wicked foreigners taking advantage of “good old Uncle Sam” (“Trump ramps up trade war with Beijing”, “Our goals aren’t bananas, explains US trade chief”, news, Apr 9; letters, Apr 7, 8 & 9). Many have been exported by US companies that realised people in southeast Asia and rural China were willing to work for less than those in the US. Even if American businesses are willing to incur the costs of setting up factories at home, US wages would still be higher than in Asia. And even if the president can force down wages so home products cost less
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 11:57 UTC
UK Version of ‘Saturday Night Live’ Will Start in 2026
“Saturday Night Live” is coming to Britain. A British version of NBC’s late-night comedy sketch show is set to premiere next year on Sky, the broadcaster announced on Thursday. The new edition of the program will have Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator, as executive producer and will feature “a star-studded lineup of hosts.”The familiar catchphrase used to kick off the weekly show will be slightly modified: “Live from London, it’s Saturday night!”Sky said the show would follow a similar format to the American version, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. It will star a yet-to-be-announced cast of British comedians who will perform sketches, alongside rotating hosts and featured musical acts. “For over 50 years, Saturday Night Live has held a unique position in TV and in our collective culture,” Cécile Frot-Coutaz, the chief executive of Sky Studios, said in the announcement.
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 11:55 UTC
What the latest NHS hospital figures for England show
An estimated 7.40 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of February, relating to 6.24 million patients. This is down from 7.43 million treatments and 6.25 million patients at the end of January. The list hit a record high in September 2023, with 7.77 million treatments and 6.50 million patients. The Government and NHS England had set a target of March 2026 for this figure to reach 80%. The Government and NHS England have set a new target for this figure to average 30 minutes across 2025/26.
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 11:29 UTC
Anushka Asthana joins Channel 4 News as US editor
Anushka Asthana. Picture: ITNITV News deputy political editor Anushka Asthana is moving to ITN stablemate Channel 4 News as US editor. Asthana, who has held the ITV News role since July 2021 and co-hosted ITV’s Peston with political editor Robert Peston, will make the move this summer. At Channel 4 News, Asthana will succeed Siobhan Kennedy who has been US correspondent for six years and is now rejoining the programme’s team in London. Her commitment to bringing new audiences to trusted, public service news reflects the spirit of Channel 4 News, and I know she’ll take us forward in engaging global audiences in our operations from the US.
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 11:02 UTC
Masters 2025 tee times UK on day one as McIlroy and Scheffler get underway
The 2025 Masters gets underway today with most of the biggest names in golf teeing up at Augusta National. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler enters the tournament as the defending champion, but he won't be without stiff competition. Scheffler ended the 2024 edition with an impressive 11-under-par, a clear four shots ahead of his competitors. The first Brit to step up to the tee will be Danny Willett, who clinched the Masters back in 2016. The tee times for the first round are as follows (* denotes an amateur).
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 09:49 UTC
Hamas challenges UK terror designation in bid to overturn proscription
Hamas is appealing against the UK government’s decision to designate it as a terror group by claiming that the ruling breaches the European Convention on Human Rights. The organisation has instructed British lawyers to launch legal action in a bid to remove it from a Home Office list of terrorist organisations, which makes it a criminal offence to have any association or show support for the group in the UK. In a legal application seen by The Times, the Islamist group called on Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, to depart from Britain’s “morally and legally indefensible policy of siding with the Zionist oppressor against the oppressed people of Palestine”. The group claimed that proscription was contrary to the “duties of the British state” to
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 05:54 UTC
‘Do not eat’: Aldi recalls a product from all UK stores due to a ‘possible health risk’
What is the recalled product? Why is the product recalled? Aldi has issued a recall for the Inspired Cuisine Baby Potatoes with Herbs and Butter, due to an undeclared allergen. "The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said that the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents.The FSA has advised the Aldi customers to not eat the recalled product . Unlike lactose intolerance, which involves difficulty digesting milk sugar (lactose), a milk allergy involves the body mistakenly identifying milk proteins—like casein or whey—as harmful invaders.
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 02:52 UTC
Streeting unveils measures to tackle violence against nurses
Reporting incidents of workplace violence in the NHS will become mandatory under new measures to tackle the rise in violence against healthcare staff, it has been announced. Mr Streeting said: “Today I can announce we will act to keep NHS staff safe at work. “Those thugs represented the worst of our country, our health and care workers represent the best. It comes as Unison has been running a national campaign to improve pay and recognition for NHS staff, including nurses. Mr Streeting said: “There have been too many disputes because NHS staff haven't been paid according to their job description rather than their job.
Source:The Times
April 10, 2025 02:24 UTC