Author: WTX News Editor

Minister refuses to deny Rishi Sunak blocked path to break deadlock on nurses strike Daily Express says Health minister Will Quince refused to deny Rishi Sunak had blocked a proposed solution to the NHS strikes, with the Government digging in over the row. The Prime Minister has been accused of overruling Health Secretary Steve Barclay on plans to give nurses a one-off payment to help manage the cost of living. It had been hoped the…

Nurses warn ‘there’ll be no-one left’ as they’re forced to do overtime to pay bus fare Daily Mirror says Rishi Sunak was urged to end nurses’ strikes by talking pay as tens of thousands staged a second walkout. Nurses warned the Prime Minister that there will soon be nobody left to help care for patients, and that they’re even far too drained to speak to their family after a long day at work. Royal College…

The unions’ walkout is indefensible — and must trigger a total ban on strikes by emergency workers THE SUN SAYS The unions’ walkout is indefensible — and must trigger a total ban on strikes by emergency workers Stike shame: RISKING lives can never be a legitimate tactic in a strike. Yet that is what ambulance crews belonging to Unison, Unite and the GMB will do today. We do understand the immense stress many NHS workers…

Ambulance strike causing deep worry, say NHS bosses BBC News says Patient safety cannot be guaranteed during today’s strike by ambulance workers in England and Wales, health bosses have warned. But NHS England says emergency care will continue to be provided. People are being asked to use services “wisely” and only call 999 in a life-threatening emergency – with 111 online the first port of call. Ambulance response times are already twice as long as…

16 and 17-year-olds to be eligible for gender recognition The Herald says SIXTEEN and 17-year-old trans people are set to be eligible for a gender recognition certificate for the first time after the Scottish Government saw off a last-ditch attempt, including from SNP backbenchers, to water down its flagship gender recognition reforms. The crunch vote is expected to pass the legislation today after it was revealed Labour MSPs will be whipped to back the SNP’s…

Taliban says women banned from universities in Afghanistan Aljazeera says Afghanistan’s Taliban-run higher education ministry has said that female students would not be allowed access to the country’s universities until further notice. A letter, confirmed by a spokesperson for the higher education ministry on Tuesday, instructed Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students immediately, in accordance with a Cabinet decision. “You all are informed to immediately implement the mentioned order of…

Biden and Zelensky planning to meet in Washington for Ukrainian president’s first foreign trip since war began CNN says President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are planning to meet at the White House on Wednesday, according to two sources familiar with the planning, in a Washington visit that is tentatively scheduled to include an address to a joint session of Congress. Zelensky is already on his way to Washington, two separate sources said,…

DEA seized enough fentanyl to kill every American in 2022 ABC says The Drug Enforcement Administration on Tuesday said it has seized more than 379 million deadly doses of fentanyl this year, as the country continues to struggle with an epidemic of drug overdose deaths. The seizures include 50.6 million pills laced with the ultra-deadly synthetic opioid and 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, the DEA said. “These seizures – enough deadly doses of fentanyl to…

Chairman Fred Ridley yesterday confirmed the Saudi-funded breakaway group can play next year.

And the breast is history.

Nurse strike to go ahead in England, Wales and Northern Ireland The Guardian says Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will strike on Tuesday in an ongoing dispute with the government about pay and concerns about patient safety. Up to 100,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will take part after it balloted its members in October. It has said that low pay is the cause of chronic understaffing that is putting…

Heart attack and stroke patients could be denied ambulances during strike The Independent says People suffering from heart attacks or strokes at home may not be able to get an ambulance at home when staff strike on Wednesday, NHS officials have said. Health secretary Steve Barclay will meet with union officials on Tuesday to insist that both category 1 calls, the most immediate life-threatening cases, and category 2 calls – including heart attacks and strokes…

Today’s Daily News | 2023 will be hotter in the UK, Security worker dies, NHS strike chaos, Jan 6 committee seek Trump charges Today’s Daily News – The Met Office has forecast that 2023 will be hotter in the UK than this year – and one of the hottest years on record. A second person has died following a crowd crush at a London gig and former US president Donald Trump may face four criminal…

Today’s news summary – Paper Talk Tuesday’s front pages report on the upcoming strikes. Heart attack and stroke patients could be denied ambulances as NHS strikes cause chaos. NHS strikes cause chaos  “Plea to end strikes as NHS faces meltdown,” is the Telegraph’s headline. The paper says with nurses taking part in the latest industrial action, Health Secretary Steve Barlcay will meet unions to try to stop the planned strike action by ambulance crews on…

Security worker dies after Brixton gig crush Another person has died following the crush at a Brixton O2 Academy gig. Gaby Hutchinson, 23, who worked as a security contractor that night, died in hospital in the early hours of Monday. Hutchinson is the second person to die as a result of a crowd crush at the gig of singer Asake, as a “large number of people” tried to force their way inside, the Met Police…

Climate change: Met Office forecasts 2023 will be hotter than 2022 The Met Office has forecast that 2023 will be warmer than this year, and one of the hottest years on record. Predictions suggest it will be the 10th year in a row the global temperature is at least 1C above average. The Met Office said that a cooling effect – known as La Nina – will likely end after being in place for three…

Harvey Weinstein found guilty in second sex crimes trial Disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty by a Los Angeles jury of raping a woman. The trial – which was two months long – heard how Weinstein used his power and influence to lure women into private meetings before attacking them. Weinstein, 70, is facing up to 24 years in prison when he is sentenced. He is already serving 23 years in…

January 6 committee seeks four criminal charges for Trump A US inquiry into the 2021 riot at the Capitol has said that former president Donald Trump should face criminal charges, including insurrection. The committee voted unanimously for the justice department to prosecute Mr Trump. The House of Representatives select committee, which is led by Democrats, spent around 18 months investigating the January 6 2021 attack. The attack saw roughly 2,000 Trump supporters storm Congress, interrupting…

The Independent – Christmas warning over rising Covid-19 cases Summary of the front page The Independent says Brits heading home for Christmas are being warned of the dangers of Covid-19 for vulnerable family members as more than 10,000 people will be in hospital with Covid by the end of the year. The front page features a large image of Lionel Messi kissing the World Cup after his glorious win. The headline reads: “Messi’s moment, The…

The Metro – This is not our battle Summary of the front page The Metro leads with the head of the armed forces warning that soldiers are not “spare capacity” to use during strikes. The comments were made by Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of UK’s armed forces over the weekend, who said it would be “perilous” to rely on troops to fill gaps caused by the strikes, and could hamper the military’s other…

The Guardian – Champions! Messi’s crowning glory Summary of the front page The Guardian’s front page features a large image of Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates after they won the World Cup. The paper’s other lead story is a report that workers who make jeans for Tesco in Thailand say they are trapped in effective forced labour. The paper says workers are to take a “landmark lawsuit” against the supermarket giant in the UK…

Daily Express – Nurses will do deal to end strikes Summary of the front page The Daily Express reports nurses are willing to compromise over their pay demands. The paper is one of several that leads with the upcoming strikes across the UK this week. It claims nursing unions are “willing to compromise” over their pay demands, raising hopes that a deal to end the dispute could be reached before Christmas. The paper features a…

Daily Mirror – Cold heart Tories putting lives at risk Summary of the front page The Daily Mirror has a warning from unions that the Tories are risking lives in failing to avert upcoming strikes by NHS staff, which includes walkouts by nurses and ambulance workers. The article quotes Unite general secretary Sharon Graham as saying health secretary Steve Barclay is “holding the country to ransom” by “refusing to hold talks” on nurses’ pay. The government…

The Sun – In the hand of God Summary of the front page The Sun leads on Argentina’s World Cup victory. The paper leads solely on the win – carrying an image of Lionel Messi holding aloft the trophy in Qatar. The paper calls Messi “the greatest” and quotes BBC presenter Gary Lineker calling the game – which Argentina won on penalties – “the greatest I’ve ever witnessed”. It was, the front page suggests, the greatest…

Today’s Daily News | Messi magic as Argentina win Qatar 2022 World Cup  The main story dominating the news today is Argentina’s World Cup win, cementing Lionel Messi’s place as the greatest footballer of all time. Elsewhere, in UK news the end of the cold snap is reported on as temperatures jump 15 degrees overnight, a tragedy in choppy seas sees a Thailand warship sink, with 31 sailors still missing, and a mass shooting in…