Author: News Desk

Report highlights widespread bullying and abuse in fire services A recent report by the His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has found that staff at a quarter of fire and rescue services in England have reported alleged racist, homophobic, and misogynistic behaviour within their ranks over the past five years. The report found bullying allegations in all services, suggesting that this could be just “the tip of the iceberg.” Examples of reported cases include male firefighters making rape threats to colleagues and a senior officer using racial slurs. The watchdog’s Roy Wilsher has called for…

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UK-Asia trade deal to boost UK economy by 0.08% The UK has signed a trade deal with 11 Asia and Pacific nations, including Australia, Canada, and Japan. This deal will help UK exporters by lowering tariffs on products like cheese, cars, and chocolate. The agreement, called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), will create a market of around 500 million people. CPTPP was established in 2018 and includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The 11 members of CPTPP account for around 13% of the world’s income and after 21…

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Virgin Orbit lays off 85% of staff after failing to secure funding Virgin Orbit has announced that it will lay off 85% of its workforce and suspend operations for the foreseeable future due to its inability to secure new investment. The rocket company was founded by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson and earlier this year the company had attempted to launch the first-ever satellite launch from UK soil. Whilst the mission was unsuccessful, it was billed as a milestone for UK space exploration and it was hoped it would mark a major step towards turning the UK into a global…

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Austria’s far-right walk out during Zelensky speech More than 20 far-right Austrian MPs, belonging to the Freedom Party (FPÖ), walked out of parliament during a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, arguing it violated Austria’s neutrality. Austria has said it cannot help Ukraine militarily but supports it politically. During his speech, Mr Zelensky thanked Austria for its humanitarian assistance and invited MPs to visit Ukraine to see the destruction caused by the Russian invasion. As he spoke, a group of politicians left and left placards on their desks with the party logo that read “space for neutrality” and “space for…

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Ex-US president Donald Trump indicted over hush money Former US President Donald Trump will face criminal charges over hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. A grand jury has voted to indict Trump for the $130,000 payout made to Daniels in an attempt to buy her silence over an alleged affair. The details of the case against him have not yet been released. Trump denies wrongdoing but is expected to surrender to authorities and be arraigned in court on Tuesday. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at…

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