Author: News Desk

Passport office workers to strike for 5 weeks over pay The Passport Office will experience a five-week strike starting on April 3, with over 1,000 workers participating in England, Scotland, and Wales.  The Public and Commercial Services union members are protesting over jobs, pay, and conditions, while the Belfast office is also considering a strike.  This action could significantly impact passport delivery ahead of the summer season. The strike involves approximately one in four of the more than 4,000 Passport Office employees across the UK, including those in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough, and Southport. The dispute is over…

There were tense scenes on GMB this morning.

Met Police expected to be heavily criticised for being racist, sexist and homophobic in new report The forthcoming report by Baroness Casey is expected to heavily criticise the Metropolitan Police for being racist, sexist, and homophobic. The review, which was commissioned to examine the force’s culture and standards after the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, Wayne Couzens, is due to be published on Tuesday. The BBC says it understands that the report will strongly condemn the Met’s tolerance of wrongdoing and its prioritisation of protecting its own staff over the public. The draft report’s findings are said…

China’s Xi to meet Putin in Moscow in first state visit since Ukraine invasion Officials have announced that President Xi Jinping of China will visit Moscow next week to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has stated that the two leaders will discuss a “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation”. The visit takes place as China, an ally of Russia, has presented suggestions to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine, which the West has not received warmly. Western nations have cautioned China against providing Moscow with weapons. According to Beijing’s foreign ministry, Mr Xi will be…

The fans were the good friends the show needed, proving instrumental in Freevee’s decision to bring it back.

The actress reveals fireworks ahead.

Incredible news!

Visits to UK’s top tourist attractions struggle to recover after Covid The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) has warned that UK tourist sites are experiencing the effects of “long Covid” due to a drop in international tourism. Although millions returned to museums and galleries in 2022 following the end of Covid restrictions, visitor levels were still down almost a quarter compared to pre-pandemic levels due to fewer international tourists. The Crown Estate, Windsor Great Park, remained the most popular attraction, but overall visits to British attractions were 37.8 million lower than in 2019. ALVA attributes the 23% shortfall to…

Ukraine will remember who backed us – foreign minister Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has issued a warning that countries that mistreated Ukraine during the war with Russia will be held accountable once the conflict ends. He stated that every nation’s choice following Russia’s invasion will be considered in building future relations. Kuleba also expressed concern about the delayed delivery of Western weapons and emphasised that such delays cost Ukrainian lives. In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, he discussed the possible end of the war, China’s role in the conflict, and his disappointment that Pope Francis has not yet…

Paris protests: Macron pushes French pension bill through without vote Protesters clashed with police in Paris following the French government’s decision to impose pension reforms without a parliamentary vote. Demonstrators gathered in Place de la Concorde to protest the proposed increase of the retirement age from 62 to 64. The controversial bill had already sparked two months of heated political debate and strikes. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne invoked article 49:3 of the constitution to bypass the vote, minutes before MPs were scheduled to vote on the bill, citing the lack of guarantee of winning a majority. Opposition politicians condemned the…