Liz Truss U-turns on public sector pay plan after backlash
Liz Truss has abandoned a plan to bring in regional pay boards less than 48 hours after announcing it, following warnings the move would lead to salary cuts for public sector workers. The Truss campaign had said that £8.8 billion could be saved by having salaries for government employees set by regional pay boards rather than national pay boards. They also indicated that it would first be adopted for the civil service before being expanded to the wider public sector – meaning doctors, teachers and policemen – in a “phased” approach. But the £8.8 billion figure indicated that the policy would have to be adopted for the full public sector, opening the door to lower pay for scores of public sector workers outside of London. “Current levels of public sector pay will absolutely be maintained – anything to suggest otherwise is simply wrong.
Source:The Guardian
August 02, 2022 13:50 UTC
15 Authors With Dark Histories We Wish We Didn't Know
In a small room, in a town, there lived a man. He was not a young man, for his hair had turned from black to grey. The room was not cluttered with things, for the man kept only what he needed and he enjoyed this list of interesting facts. He did not mind his small room. The man enjoyed the list of interesting facts so much that he decided to share it with a friend, though he could not remember having told anyone about the list of interesting facts.
Source:The Guardian
August 02, 2022 13:41 UTC
What is Sarina Wiegman’s net worth, and what is Lionesses manager’s salary?
ENGLAND secured a historic European Championship win - and a lot of that is down to manager Sarina Wiegman. 1 England head coach Sarina Wiegman during a press conference at Bramall Lane Credit: PAThe Lionesses beat Spain in the quarter-finals at Euro 2022 before dismantling Sweden in the semi-finals. What is Sarina Wiegman's net worth? It's been reported that Sarina Wiegman's current net worth is between £1million-£5m. According to The Times, Sarina Wiegman earns around £400,000-a-year as England manager.
Source:The Times
August 02, 2022 13:24 UTC
Truss U-turn on regional pay for public sector workers: how it happened
Liz Truss’s campaign to be the next Conservative Party leader suffered a setback after a U-turn over an £8.8 billion policy pledge. Truss’s plans must refer to the wider public sector. The initial release said: “Truss’s government will save up to £8.8 billion a year by replacing national pay boards with regional pay boards. “Current levels of public sector pay will absolutely be maintained. “Our hard-working frontline staff are the bedrock of society and there will be no proposal taken forward on regional pay boards for civil servants or public sector workers.”– So what next?
Source:The Guardian
August 02, 2022 13:14 UTC
UK eases sanctions on Russia
London has eased some restrictions it imposed on Russia over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, allowing companies to provide insurance and reinsurance to entities linked to Russia. The amendment to the ‘General Trade Licence Russia Sanctions – Vessels’ was announced on Monday by the UK Department for International Trade. Firstly, UK pushed Germany to ban NS2,next – anti-🇷🇺 sanctions were introduced making it 🇷🇺 impossible for to maintain NS1. Then 🇺🇦, that makes billions on 🇷🇺 gas transfer, refused to transit gas from the pipeline located in Lugansk area, and now its Russia turns off the gas? “There is no current UK ban affecting global shipments of Russian oil,” Patrick Davison, underwriting director of the Lloyd’s Market Association, an industry group for insurers at Lloyd’s, has said.
Source:The Guardian
August 02, 2022 13:08 UTC
Most popular newspapers in the UK: Print ABC circulations for May 2022
Every publicly ABC audited UK national newspaper saw circulation decline from May to June with the exception of the i which saw growth of 0.2%. The free Metro was the only national newspaper to grow year-on-year (by 3%) as it has upped its distribution this year compared to the Covid-hit 2020 and 2021. Scroll down or click here for new graphs charting the ups and downs of the UK national press in the past 20 years. Free daily Metro was by far the hardest hit as commuters disappeared from train stations and other key locations almost overnight. 2000-presentWe have also charted the longer-term change in ABC circulation over the past 20 years across the UK press.
Source:The Times
August 02, 2022 12:55 UTC
Twist Bioscience and Biotia Receive Expanded Emergency Use Authorization to Report Genetic Variants of SARS-CoV-2
With the expanded authorization, the reporting of the identified and differentiated SARS-CoV-2 genetic mutations and viral lineages (e.g. The SARS-CoV-2 NGS Assay was validated on a NextSeq® 550 Sequencing System. A paper published in Microbiology Spectrum details results of the NGS SARS-CoV-2 Assay with the COVID-DX Solution to detect the virus and its genetic variants. The SARS-CoV-2 NGS Assay and the clinical reports have not been approved by the FDA and are only for use by specified personnel under the FDA’s EUA. Twist and Biotia also offer a research use only (RUO) version of the SARS-CoV-2 NGS Assay, for non-clinical labs.
Source:The Guardian
August 02, 2022 12:44 UTC
An artist is charging $6,325 for a pickle from a McDonald’s burger that he stuck to a ceiling
A Sydney-based artist is taking a dig at the perceived pretentiousness of the art world by charging $10,000 Australian dollars—which comes out to about $6,329 U.S. dollars—for his latest work. As the name suggests, the work features a single slice of pickle that Griffin plucked from a McDonald's cheeseburger and subsequently chucked at the pristine white ceiling of the gallery space. "I got kicked out of a McDonald's by the police for doing this when I was a teenager, now it's art," wrote one Instagram user. And before you ask, the pickle has allegedly not fallen from its spot on the ceiling despite reportedly only being stuck up there with its own sticky sauce. Michael Lett Gallery co-director, Andrew Thomas, shared that "Pickle" has inspired those encountering the work to "think broadly about the various ideas it encapsulates.
Source:The Guardian
August 02, 2022 12:34 UTC
According To The Chief Of The Un, The World Is “One Calculation Away From Nuclear Annihilation.”
Guterres said at the NPT’s 10th review conference that mankind was only one misunderstanding or calculation away from a nuclear apocalypse today. The NPT is a global agreement that was signed in 1970 to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons. https://t.co/PHjQhSAqyx pic.twitter.com/RwiunF53KR — United Nations (@UN) August 1, 2022“At this time, there are around 13,000 nuclear weapons stored in arsenals around the globe. The goal of the NPT is to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, advance full disarmament, and foster cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. “The road to a world free of nuclear weapons has grown more difficult.
Source:The Guardian
August 02, 2022 12:08 UTC
EarthTalk - Is it true that koalas are on the verge of extinction?
Dear EarthTalk : Is it true that koalas are on the verge of extinction? Prior to Black Summer, disease and climate change were the primary determinants of the size of koala populations. However, Black Summer presented the ultimate tipping point for koalas. This initiative indicates a commitment funding, researching, and creating environmental laws that restrict habitat clearing, according to Queensland Conservation Council Director Dave Copeman. Just like any threatened species, koalas are worth saving, not just because they are beloved but also for the sake of protecting the biodiversity of Australia's flora and fauna.
Source:The Guardian
August 02, 2022 11:40 UTC
Bury's James Guy wins 3 medals at Commonwealth Games 2022
Bury swimmer James Guy has won a trio of medals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham - and is getting ready to go for his fourth today, Tuesday. The 26-year-old has struck silver for Team England in both the 4x100m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay events. He will add the medals to the impressive haul of honours he has been awarded in his career, which includes Olympic, world and previous Commonwealth titles. Speaking about his win in the 4x100m freestyle relay on Saturday he said: “This morning and last night I wasn’t feeling that good in the water. His three medals in Birmingham give him a total of nine Commonwealth Games medals.
Source:The Times
August 02, 2022 11:35 UTC
Nissan launches sustainable finance framework to fund electric vehicle and sustainable technologies
Nissan Motor is launching a sustainable finance framework to help fund its next-generation electrified vehicles, batteries, environmental technologies, and new mobility services. Proceeds from the Nissan Sustainable Finance Framework will also be used to support projects in Nissan’s use of renewable energy, clean manufacturing systems, EV re-charging infrastructure, battery re-use, and autonomous-drive technologies. The Nissan Sustainable Finance Framework will enable Nissan to raise funds needed to further enhance its sustainability efforts. Funding entities will include both Nissan Motor Co., Ltd and Nissan Sales Finance affiliates, which include but are not limited to Nissan Financial Services, Nissan Motor Acceptance Company LLC, Nissan Canada, Nissan Leasing (Thailand), Nissan Financial Services Australia, Nissan Financial Services New Zealand, Dongfeng Nissan Auto Finance, Dongfeng Nissan Financial Leasing, NR Finance Mexico and Nissan Renault Financial Services India. The framework addresses four key pillars:Use of Proceeds Process for Project Evaluation and Selection Management of the Proceeds ReportingAccording to Sustainalytics, Nissan’s framework is aligned with the Green Bond Principle 2021, Social Bond Principle 2021, Sustainability Bond Guideline 2021, Green Loan Principle 2021, and Social Loan Principle 2021.
Source:The Guardian
August 02, 2022 11:15 UTC
Civil servants’ pay could be decided on where they live
Teachers, policemen and other public sector workers could receive different rates of pay depending on where they work, as part of a plan being put forward by Liz Truss to cut the government’s wage bill by £8.8 billion a year. Under proposals to reduce the cost of providing services, the foreign secretary said she would introduce regional pay boards that would set salaries for civil servants in different parts of the country so that they “accurately” reflected local labour market conditions. SponsoredHer campaign said that regional pay boards would initially determine the pay of officials working outside London but if successful would be expanded to cover all public sector workers. They said that no officials would receive a pay cut but that future pay rises
Source:The Times
August 02, 2022 11:05 UTC
Rangers Champions League opponents revealed as Monaco or PSV Eindhoven lie in wait in potential play-off round
A two-leg win over the Belgian side, with the first leg on Tuesday at the Den Dreef Stadium in Leuven, will see Rangers play either the French or Dutch side. It would be the final hurdle to overcome ahead of guaranteed European group stage football. The Light Blues were seeded for the draw in Nyon, which means the likes of Benfica were avoided in the play-off round. Should the Light Blues progress they will advance to the Champions League group stage to join the 26 teams given direct entry. It could be a return to the Europa League group stage, however, should the next round not go Rangers way, with the draw set for August 26.
Source:Express
August 02, 2022 10:38 UTC
Tesco shoppers can get free bottle of beer to celebrate England’s Euros win
Tesco shoppers can get a free bottle of Budweiser beer to celebrate England’s Lionesses’ stunning Euros victory. Submitting...To mark the moment, Budweiser is offering Tesco shoppers a free 660ml bottle of their beer this week. How do I claim the free bottle of beer? Shoppers need to be over the age of 18 to get a free bottle of beer and will be issued a voucher via text message once the form is complete. Tesco is also offering a free kids meal to parents who are Clubcard holders all day, every day and throughout the summer.
Source:Express
August 02, 2022 10:00 UTC