Author: UK News

In Northern Ireland we are making our own strides toward net zero, with industry professionals leading change to create a more sustainable future for generations to come. But with the built environment contributing to over a third of the world’s carbon emissions, there is much to be done. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) recently published its 2024 global sustainability report, and whilst surveyors indicated that occupier and investor demand for sustainable buildings increased over the past year, there are many barriers in adopting sustainable construction practices. Looking at factors deemed to be holding back the industry, high initial…

Harvey Weinstein was hospitalised Monday following an “alarming blood test,” his lawyer said, less than a week after the disgraced movie mogul filed a legal claim alleging substandard medical care at New York City’s notorious jail complex Rikers Island. Weinstein, 72, was sent to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for an “emergent treatment due to an alarming blood test result that requires immediate medical attention,” his lawyer Imran Ansari said in a statement. “It is expected that he will remain there until his condition stabilises.” Mr Ansari added: “His deprivation of care is not only medical malpractice, but a violation of…

The Emir of Qatar will begin a two-day state visit to the UK hosted by the King.Charles will welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the first of his three wives, Sheikha Jawaher, during a ceremony of pomp and pageantry staged in Whitehall.But missing will be Queen Camilla who, on Monday evening, pulled out of the official open-air greeting on Horse Guards Parade and a carriage ride back to Buckingham Palace, due to lingering effects of a recent viral chest infection.Queen Camilla contracted the illness a month ago following her long-haul trip to Australia and Samoa (Aaron Chown/PA) Camilla…

Hard-pressed families in Cork and around the country are facing the choice of heating their home or buying food on any given day, a leading charity has said.The Society of St Vincent De Paul (SVP) said it continues to receive a high volume of calls, particularly as we head towards Christmas.“The main thing is having enough money to cover food on the table and heat their homes, but trying to manage Christmas at the same time is difficult,” said SVP’s southwest regional co-ordinator Gerry Garvey.“In a country that’s comfortably well-off, we should ensure that families have a basic standard of…

Cladding will be fixed on high-rise buildings in England by 2029, says Angela Rayner Deputy prime minister announced acceleration plan and criticised pace of works seven years after Grenfell fire Dangerous cladding on all high-rise buildings in government-funded schemes in England will be fixed by the end of 2029, Angela Rayner has pledged. Criticising the pace of remediation, more than seven years after the Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 people, the deputy prime minister announced an acceleration plan on Monday for buildings of 18 metres and over, which will include severe penalties for freeholders who fail to act. Continue reading……

A band of cloud and rain will spread south through today, with colder air spreading across the country. Scattered showers and sunny spells will move into the north, with snow, hail and strong winds in northeast Scotland. Tonight: Largely dry tonight as rain clears to the south, apart from some showers along the east coast. Cold with a frost for many, and some icy stretches in the east.

What’s on the front page of the Western Mail?The front page of the Western Mail this morning – 02/12/24 – reports on the latest polling – and what it means. Plaid grabs ‘historic’ pole position in public poll but Reform UK support surges in Wales. Plaid Cymru has edged ahead of Welsh Labour in a Senedd voting intention poll for the first time since 2010. The poll also showed that Reform UK is making rapid gains and is now tied with Labour in second place.

What’s on the front page of The National? The front page of The National this morning 02/12/2-25 – reports Israel condemned after ‘heartbreaking’ killing of aid workers. SCOTTISH politicians have condemned the Israeli killing of three aid workers in Gaza with the UK Government urged to call out “war crimes”. The World Central Kitchen (WCK) has said it was left “heartbroken” by an attack which left three aid workers dead along with two others following an airstrike on a vehicle. Israeli military has said the alleged attacker targeted in Saturday’s strike had taken part in that attack on Israel on October 7,…

Henry I’s luxurious tower at Corfe Castle reopens to visitors after 378 years A National Trust viewing platform at Corfe Castle offers visitors a glimpse into the king’s royal quarters in Dorset. “It’s a bit like the Buckingham Palace balcony, where the royal family stand to wave to everybody,” said Gould. “This was the point from which the king would be able to see down across the castle, the village,and his dominion.” A luxurious suite of “rooms with a view”, built for the son of William the Conquerer but partly destroyed in the English Civil War, has become accessible to…

What’s on the front page of the Metro? The front page of the Metro this morning 02/12/24 – reports on the backlash facing Gregg Wallace after he dismissed allegations against him.Gregg Wallace claims MasterChef accusations against him come from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’. He said: ‘I’ve been doing MasterChef for 20 years, amateur, celebrity and professional MasterChef, and in that time, I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, different backgrounds, all walks of life.‘Apparently now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time.‘In the newspaper, I can see the complaints coming from…

What’s on the front page of The Guardian?The Guardian front page this morning – 02/12/24 – reports MPs have “drawn up a blueprint to overhaul palliative care”.New plan would ‘transform’ end of life care for 100,000 in England and Wales. MPs, doctors and charities have drawn up a blueprint to deliver an “unprecedented transformation” of care for 100,000 people a year in the final stages of their lives.Outrage over Wallace’s ‘middle-class women’ jibe.The corporation and other broadcasters are facing growing questions about how the MasterChef presenter was allowed to remain on screen despite a series of allegations of inappropriate behaviour…

What’s on the front page of The Independent?The Independent front page this morning – 02/12/24 reports on the latest in the Gregg Wallace scandal. BBC turmoil as Gregg Wallace remains defiant: The corporation is under increasing fire over its response to claims of inappropriate behaviour by the MasterChef star who provoked a furious backlash by calling his accusers ‘middle-class women of a certain ageAleppo attack: The forgotten war in Syria has finally grabbed the world’s attention.Analysis: Many believed Syria was lost in an unsolvable abyss – but everything has changed in a matter of days

The ‘Eagle of Ingliston’ is a carved stone featuring the Imperial eagle which was first recorded in Scotland in 1699. The stone, originally thought to be part of a Roman milestone, was mentioned by Sir Robert Sibald as one of three he had, though it was not in his possession. Instead, the relic had been re-purposed and was part of the gable wall of one of his tenant’s houses, forming part of the exterior brickwork. Lost Roman Eagle of Ingliston found after almost 50 years In 1975 it was recorded again during a survey, still part of the house and…

Monday’s front pages lead with the ongoing backlash facing MasterChef host Gregg Wallace. The fallout over allegations of misconduct has spiralled after he dismissed the accusations against him as from “middle-class women of a certain age.” 

Wallace has been accused of engaging in sexually harassing behaviour. He denies all allegations. 

Several front pages continue their coverage of the assisted dying bill that was passed on Friday. There are also reports on Labour’s NHS plans and a recent poll suggesting the British public favours a closer relationship with the EU than a free trade deal with the US. 

On the international front, many papers find space to report on the latest happenings in Syria. The country’s civil war is back in the spotlight after a new rebel coalition launched a surprise attack, sweeping into the country’s second-largest city, Aleppo. 

The back pages offer their assessments of last night’s Premier League Super Sunday – with Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester City the highlight.

‘Seething’ Ulrika Jonsson responds to Gregg Wallace blaming ‘women of a certain age’ for complaints Wallace responded to the accusations on Sunday, claiming that they had come from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’.  Wallace responded to the accusations on Sunday, claiming that they had come from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’ ‘Seething’ Ulrika Jonsson responds to Gregg Wallace blaming ‘women of a certain age’ for complaints https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/gregg-wallace-ulrika-jonsson-rape-joke-middle-class-b2657108.html

Today begins Homelessness Awareness Week, an annual event which takes place in the north, and this year the urgency for action has never been greater. Every person deserves a safe, secure place to call home. Yet over 30,000 households containing more than 58,000 people have full duty status, meaning they meet the legal tests under the homelessness legislation and are waiting for social housing. That’s a rise of 135% in the last decade. Unsurprisingly the level of need for temporary accommodation has also risen sharply, doubling in the last five years to 4,784 households including over 5,100 children. Of course,…

President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Mr Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family members.The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after his convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California.The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges, and…

President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Mr Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family members.

There are only 50 more frontline gardaí in place now compared to this time last year, despite recruitment campaigns, new figures show.The garda strength stands at 14,074, as at the end of October, including 11,178 rank and file gardaí.It marks a reduction on the previous month and continues the up-and-down trend throughout this year, with numbers struggling to push past the 14,000 mark.The latest figures, contained in the Garda Commissioner’s November report to the Policing Authority, compares to a garda strength of 13,940 in October 2023. This included 11,127 rank and file gardaí, which means there are only 51 more…

Influencers issued warning as casualty is 'walked like a dog' off Crib Goch Mountain rescuers have delivered a message to people with large social media followings https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/influencers-issued-warning-casualty-walked-30493302

Hospitals in london have been blighted by bed bugs over the last seven years (Picture: Shutterstock) Patients, including children, are potentially being exposed to bed bugs as London hospitals faced hundreds of infestations since 2018. Nineteen NHS trusts across London said they had to call in pest control over 500 times to tackle bed bugs in the last seven years, costing some hospitals hundreds of pounds. The Royal London Children’s Hospital, which is run by Barts Health NHS Trust, as well as King’s College Hospital, which sits under the King’s College Hospital NHS Trust, were among the worst affected by the pests.…

Canada’s ambassador to the United States said Sunday that prime minister Justin Trudeau was successful in getting president-elect Donald Trump and key US cabinet nominees to understand that lumping Canada in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the US is unfair.

A key element of BusConnects Cork is “dead in the water”, it has been claimed, following confirmation that Bus Éireann, which is already struggling with a driver shortage, needs another 120 drivers to deliver the city’s proposed new bus network.But the National Transport Authority (NTA) has confirmed the need for an additional 40 to 50 drivers in Cork between February and August next year if there is any chance of delivering a reliable bus service, with a further 80 drivers required by January 2026 to deliver the first phase of the new bus network proposed under BusConnects.Sinn Féin TD for…

Gregg Wallace’s comment that accusations of inappropriate behaviour against him came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age” has prompted an angry backlash. The MasterChef presenter faces various allegations of making “inappropriate sexual jokes”, asking for the phone numbers of female members of production staff, and undressing in front of and standing “too close” to women working on his shows. Ulrika Jonsson, who competed on Celebrity MasterChef in 2017, said she was “seething” while Kirstie Allsopp described his response as “unacceptable”. In a post on Instagram on Sunday, 60-year-old Wallace said: “I’ve been doing MasterChef for 20…

Canada’s ambassador to the United States said Sunday that prime minister Justin Trudeau was successful in getting president-elect Donald Trump and key US cabinet nominees to understand that lumping Canada in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the US is unfair.Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador in Washington, told The Associated Press in an interview that Trudeau’s dinner with Mr Trump on Friday was a very important step in trying to get Mr Trump to back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner.Ms Hillman was at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida…