Author: News Desk

Infected blood victims could get compensation payments of over £2.5m | Contaminated blood scandal Victims of the contaminated blood scandal could receive over £2.5m in compensation under a multibillion pound scheme announced a day after a damning report found the NHS and government culpable for the tragedy. The paymaster general, John Glen, outlined details of the scheme in parliament on Tuesday, following criticism in Sir Brian Langstaff’s final report of the government’s failure to set up a compensation framework for those infected and affected by the scandal, which he had called for last year. Reiterating Rishi Sunak’s apology over the…

Politically motivated crimes in Germany reached their highest level in 2023 since tracking began Politically motivated crime in Germany last year reached its highest level since the government started tracking it more than 20 years ago, with the greatest threat coming from people with far-right motivations, the country’s top security official said Tuesday. Overall, Germany registered 60,028 politically motivated crimes in 2023. The government considers numerous acts as political including intent to hinder democracy and crimes aimed at members of certain ethnic, religious or other groups. Right-wing politically motivated crimes increased by 23% in 2023 to 28,945 cases, of which…

Labour urged to focus on Midlands in plan for new towns Labour’s plan for new towns looks likely to focus on the Midlands as much as England’s overcrowded south-east, with planners already considering areas near Nottingham, Stafford and Northampton, the Guardian understands. Close to the M1 and M6 motorways, some of the locations have the advantage of being in areas of Labour local political control, giving Keir Starmer’s government a better chance of delivering on its promise to have the first homes built by the end of a first Labour term. One planner involved in early thinking said other potential…

Labour, Lib Dems and Britain First fined by Electoral Commission for breaking election law Labour and the Lib Dems have been warned by the Electoral Commission that they need to comply with electoral law after being fined for multiple offences. Four investigations carried out by the democratic watchdog concluded that Labour was guilty of five offences and one contravention of the rules and handed a fine of £400. Meanwhile, the Lib Dems were found guilty of four offences of late reporting of donations and fined £350. Labour was reprimanded for a failure to notify a change in accounting unit treasurer,…

Funeral held for remains of medieval man found on Hampshire beach | Hampshire There is no bias in the original title provided. Nobody knew his name or exactly how he died half a millennium ago but 50 mourners gathered to pay their respects at an unusual church service to lay to rest the remains of a medieval man found on a Hampshire beach.The funeral and burial for the man, who may have been a murder victim, his body hidden by the killer, took place at St Mary’s church in the village of South Baddesley, near where he was found in…

Safety institutes to form ‘international network’ to boost AI research and tests Ten nations and the European Union have agreed to establish an international network of publicly backed AI Safety Institutes to advance global research and testing of AI. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the agreement would mean “international progress” could be made on AI safety, after it was announced at the end of the first day of the AI Seoul Summit. The UK announced it would create the world’s first AI Safety Institute during the AI Safety Summit held at Bletchley Park in November last year, to carry out…

Jeremy Hunt looks to cut NICs again despite IMF warning of £30bn fiscal hole | Economics There is no bias in the original title provided. Jeremy Hunt is preparing a pre-election cut in national insurance despite a warning from the International Monetary Fund of a looming £30bn hole in the public finances, Downing Street has indicated.Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said the government rejected the IMF’s argument that there was no room for a third cut in NI in less than a year and that the Treasury should instead be thinking about tax increases or spending cuts.“I think on that we respectfully…

Army personnel fear for their jobs after huge MoD cyber attack Army personnel fear losing their jobs after they had their details hacked in a cyber attack on the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Personal data of service personnel and veterans, including names, bank details and addresses, was in the payroll system which was accessed in the large-scale hack. Barings Law said it had signed up more than 1,000 claimants who were potentially affected. Up to 272,000 service personnel may have been affected by the breach. Adnan Malik, head of data breach at the Manchester-based law firm, said: “There is a…

British passenger dies after severe turbulence on London to Singapore flight | Air transport A British passenger has died and dozens have been injured after a flight from London to Singapore was hit by turbulence. Passengers onboard the Singapore Airlines plane told of a “dramatic drop” that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling. The airline said the Boeing 777 carrying more than 200 passengers encountered severe turbulence on its way from Heathrow. The aircraft was diverted to Bangkok, where it landed at 3.45pm local time (0945 BST) on Tuesday. According to Thai authorities, the unnamed passenger…

Marcus Rashford has been left out of England’s Euro 2024 squad which is set to be named by Gareth Southgate later today. The Manchester United star has endured a difficult season for his club, during which he was disciplined by his manager Erik ten Hag and struggled to maintain his fitness. Rashford returned from his latest injury setback last week during United’s 3-2 win over Newcastle and also played the last 15 minutes against Brighton on Sunday in his bid to cement a start in the upcoming FA Cup final against Manchester City. Despite his lack of form, Rashford maintained…