Author: News Desk

Real cost of junior doctors’ strike revealed in leaked NHS documents The Independent says The junior doctors’ strike will lead to caesarean births being cancelled, an increase in the number of mental health patients detained, and issues transferring the critically ill for urgent care, according to leaked NHS documents that show that the impact of the 96-hour walkout will reverberate through the NHS for months to come. The action over pay, which begins on Tuesday, will compromise critical care and major trauma services, while there will even be a delay to funerals because doctors will not be available to issue…

Junior doctors strike could force cancellation of 350,000 appointments The Metro says An estimated 350,000 appointments, including operations, will be cancelled because of the walkout by members of the British Medical Association (BMA). Doctors today mounted picket lines outside hospitals from 7am and will stay on strike until Saturday morning. Managers have said patient care is ‘on a knife edge’ because of the strike and the suggested number of cancelled appointments could rise by 100,000. National medical director of NHS England Professor Sir Stephen Powis said he expects the figures to be ‘considerably more than the 175,000’. He told BBC…

GP surgeries suspend routine appointments to cope with ‘most disruptive strike in NHS history’ The Sun says GP surgeries are suspending routine appointments to cope with this week’s strike by junior doctors, it is reported. More than 47,000 are expected to walk out for 96 hours from April 11 to 15 in a move which will “utterly overwhelm” the NHS, it is feared. While many trusts have insisted the public will receive care as normal, patients in some areas have been warned to expect lengthy delays during the industrial action. Others have been barred from booking appointments altogether, The Telegraph…

Junior doctors stage major strike action The Guardian says Junior doctors across England are walking out on a four-day strike this morning, in a worsening dispute over pay which threatens huge disruption to the NHS. An estimated 350,000 appointments, including operations, will be cancelled as a result of the action that follows years of real-terms pay cuts that the government refuses to rectify. Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) have been mounting picket lines outside hospitals for the past hour, and will do so until Saturday morning, in the longest stoppage of the wave of unrest. Nurses, ambulance crews…

CBI boss Tony Danker sacked over misconduct claims Tony Danker, the boss of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), has been fired following an investigation into complaints about his conduct at work involving a female employee. Three other CBI employees have also been suspended pending further investigation into allegations. The CBI is liaising with the police and intends to fully cooperate with any police investigations. Danker, who stepped aside in March during the investigation, has not commented. In its statement on Tuesday, the CBI said: “Tony Danker is dismissed with immediate effect following the independent investigation into specific complaints of…

Interest rates likely to fall to pre-Covid levels, IMF predicts A new International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast suggests that interest rates in major economies are expected to fall back to pre-pandemic levels. It says low productivity and ageing populations will be factors likely to reduce inflation, which will result in central banks easing monetary policy. The Bank of England has raised interest rates since December 2021 from 0.1% to 4.25%, with the UK experiencing its highest inflation rates in almost 40 years. Other central banks – in the US, Europe and other nations, have also raised interest rates to combat…

More people entertaining at home amid cost of living crisis Sales of home accessories and furniture increased sharply in March, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which helped to boost total retail sales by 5.1% compared with the previous year.  The cost of living continues to put pressure on households, with inflation rising 10.4% in the year to February.  The BRC said that Mother’s Day drove sales of jewellery, flowers and fragrances, but that wet weather held back demand for gardening, DIY and fashion items. Sales of home accessories and furniture saw the strongest growth of any category in…

Europe migrant crisis: Italy attempts to save 1,200 people on overcrowded boats off coast of Sicily Two large-scale operations are being conducted by the Italian coastguard to rescue approximately 1,200 migrants from overcrowded boats off the coast of Sicily. One boat is carrying around 800 people, while the other has around 400 passengers.  Since Friday, the coastguard has already saved about 2,000 individuals from other operations. Despite the right-wing coalition government’s efforts to curb irregular migration, migrant arrivals to Italy have increased steeply compared to the same period last year. An unofficial hotline for migrants in distress, Alarm Phone, reported…

Kentucky mass shooting: Gunman kills 5 in bank shooting, live streams shooting on Instagram Five people were killed and nine others were injured, including a rookie police officer, in a shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 11. The attacker, identified as 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, opened fire with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle and live-streamed the attack on Instagram. He was an employee at the bank and had no previous contact with law enforcement. Sturgeon had been recently informed that he was going to be fired from his job and had written a note describing his plans…

Manchester City v Bayern Munich: Sleepless nights for Thomas Tuchel before Champions League quarter-final Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted to experiencing sleepless nights ahead of his team’s Champions League encounter with Manchester City.  Tuchel, who was sacked by Chelsea in September, has beaten a team managed by Pep Guardiola only three times in their 10 previous meetings. The last time Tuchel beat Guardiola was in 2021 when Chelsea beat City in the Champions League final. Tuchel believes that his team will have to play at the “top of their game” to defeat City, who have won their past…