Asda is facing accusations of a "fire and rehire" strategy by trade union GMB, which claims that 7,000 employees at 39 stores in the south will lose location-based pay supplements and face salary cuts for night shifts. GMB alleges that Asda may dismiss members of staff who refuse to sign the new terms and conditions offered. An Asda spokesman stated that discussions are ongoing with a “small number of stores outside the M25” that offer a "legacy supplement" of 60p per hour, though the statement added that "no final decision has been taken".
London flats are so undesirable following the Grenfell Tower cladding crisis and leaden leasehold policies that they have gone down in value since 2017 while house prices have risen 17%, according to an FT analysis. It found around 95% of flat owners in England and Wales don't wholly own their homes and can struggle with arbitrary, rapidly rising service charges which can take years to dispute. Owners of flats in Scotland and condos in the US and Canada have similar rights to anyone owning a house. The UK is also the only developed country using the leasehold system. Meanwhile, the use of flammable cladding on high-rise developments is rife in England and Wales, while none were found in the Republic of Ireland. Opposition leader Keir Stamer pledged to abolish the leasehold system for new homes last week.
Inflation has made Americans poorer, transferrring their earnings and savings to the government, according to an economist from the UK's Bank of England. Governments worldwide, with the US being the most noticeable example, have seen unprecedentedly large deficits fuelled by borrowing that far exceeds savings and which the Federal Reserve has stepped in to finance by printing more money. People were initially flush with cash, and then prices began to rise as the government and private individuals competed for fewer goods and services. Therefore, people must accept they are poorer, and the only way to stop the inflation are to end government running large deficits.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the structural weaknesses of Britain's single-payer healthcare system and amplified long-persisting problems, reports The Daily Signal. The current crisis in the system, although aggravated by a nasty flu season, has been building for decades. The country's Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, dismissed questions about private medical care, which signals that even he might have chosen a private healthcare option. The article explains that 7.2 million British patients are waiting for medical care, which reportedly adds up to almost 11% of the population. A survey conducted by Dr. Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, estimated that hundreds of people were dying each week due to delays and related problems in the delivery of emergency medical care. The article contrasts the situation in the UK to the U.S. and congressional liberals' proposal to establish an American version of a single-payer health system that could result in severe systemic problems, waiting lists, as well as delays and denials of care.
The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that the number of abortions in the US fell in 2020, after two consecutive years of increases. This decline represented the lowest rate on record since the Roe v. Wade decision. However, the abortion ratio showed a slight increase, indicating that the likelihood of women opting for abortion remained unchanged. Additionally, from 2014-2020, the abortion ratio nationally increased by 3%. The study indicates a moderate negative correlation between the number of abortion restrictions and the abortion ratio. Therefore, more abortion restrictions are associated with lower abortion ratios.
Various reasons have been suggested for why the number of abortions rose in 2018 and 2019, including a growing cultural acceptance of abortion, and privately run funds established to pay for women’s abortions. The FDA also loosened safety protocols for the abortion pill mifepristone, which likely led to an increase in overall chemical abortions. It is also unclear why the number of abortions declined in 2020 but may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study shows that while fewer abortions occurred in 2020 compared to 2019, the likelihood of women opting for abortion remained unchanged. However, as the number of pregnancies decreased in 2020, so too did the number of abortions. The percentage of pregnancies ending in abortion also remained virtually unchanged from the estimated percentage of pregnancies that ended in abortion in 2019. The study concludes that the decline in abortions indicates the resumption of the long-term trend of declining abortions in the US, but it remains to be seen if this trend will continue in the future.
The economic issues surrounding the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in the US, including their cost, convenience, and environmental impact, are outlined in a recent episode of the Heritage Foundation's Heritage Explains podcast. The Biden administration's new regulations requiring EVs to represent at least 54% of all new vehicles sold in 2030 will have an adverse economic impact on the country, the podcast's guest speaker warned. Furthermore, the reliance on China for EV production will make it economically stronger while weakening the US economy. Trillions of dollars would, therefore, be wasted on EV production to benefit China, which makes solar panels, wind turbines, and electric batteries.
Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire spinner, will be the most interesting figure in the Vitality Blast T20 cricket tournament this year. Despite having a respectable first-class record, Parkinson has not played for England since his unusual debut as its first concussion substitute for Jack Leach in the test cricket arena. Reports suggest that Parkinson may leave Lancashire at the end of the season as he is out of contract, and there appears to be discord between the club and the player. Parkinson will need to impress in the Blast to have a chance of being selected for The Hundred.
European stocks rose on Friday as investors awaited central bankers' speeches for clues on the future direction of interest rates. Germany's Dax was 0.3% higher in early trade, putting it less than 100 points off the 16,290 high set in November 2021. The Stoxx 600 gained 0.4%, while London's FTSE 100 added 0.3% at the market open. Meanwhile, China's onshore currency fell to 7.027 against the US dollar, its lowest level since December following weak consumer spending and industrial production, as well as record-high youth unemployment in April data.
West Ham United fans, players and officials were attacked by AZ Alkmaar supporters after a Europa League semi-final on Thursday night. The West Ham players attempted to intervene as AZ supporters stormed towards family members and supporters in the stadium as children fled for safety. David Moyes, the West Ham manager, confirmed his own and friends were in the section where the brawl broke out. Video emerged later of West Ham player Declan Rice throwing an object into the crowd. West Ham won the match against AZ 1-0 and booked their place in their first European final in almost five decades.
James Milner and Roberto Firmino will both leave Liverpool when their contracts expire at the end of the season. Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said the teammates will be a huge loss to the club and beyond their on-pitch contributions, both players will be missed for their positive energies, character, and leadership. Midfielder Milner has been at the club since 2015 and would be a difficult player to replace, and forward Firmino, although returning to training, will also be missed having been celebrated by fans for his contributions to the team.
Lancashire seamer Luke Wood has put down his intensive schedule overseas to be among the Vitality Blast players, describing returning home to play for Red Rose as “his pride and joy”. Wood’s touring period included England's historic visit to Pakistan, appearances in Australia at the T20 World Cup, franchise deals in the Big Bash, the UAE and Bangladesh. Having just returned from his exploits, he will be lining up for the Red Rose on 5th June to kickstart the club's season with a game against Derbyshire in Edgbaston's ‘Blast Off’.
Manchester United supporters feel both sympathy and frustration as Phil Jones leaves the club after 12 years due to injury. Jones has struggled with increasingly serious injuries that have limited him to just four Premier League starts over the past four seasons. In an emotional interview just released, Jones says he literally worked tirelessly hard and missed playing football. United, which still stands as one of the most potent symbols of United’s mismanagement in the post-Ferguson era, will now hope for a successful summer with Erik ten Hag to be the one when ruthlessness finally returns at Old Trafford.
Michael Vaughan, a former England cricket captain, will take on key positions on the BBC’s cricket coverage this summer after being cleared of all charges of making a racist remark earlier this year. The ex-player will appear as a guest on the highlights programme Today at the Test and work as a summariser on the Test Match Special radio programme. Vaughan had been charged with using racist or discriminatory language towards a group of Yorkshire players of Asian ethnicity, but a Cricket Discipline Commission panel found the charge not proven, citing inconsistent evidence from two key witnesses.
Fraud costs businesses and individuals across the world more than $5tn every year, according to research by financial-advisory firm Crowe and the University of Portsmouth. The figure amounts to nearly 60% of the annual global spend on healthcare. Lower-level financial scams add up to this colossal total beneath the high-profile scandals such as Theranos, which resulted in the recent conviction of founder Elizabeth Holmes, and Wirecard. Among the causes of fraud are greed, covering financial shortfalls, pressure to exceed growth expectations and “fake-it-till-you-make-it” accounting techniques in some tech startups. Fraudsters also take advantage of world events like the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, as seen in the $80bn stolen from the US Paycheck Protection Programme. More should be done to encourage whistleblowers and to recognise the bravery of people exposing fraud, the article concludes.
Sheik Jassim has made a fourth bid to purchase Manchester United, with reports suggesting chemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also in the running. Nasser Mohamed, an LGBTQ+ activist and advocate across the Middle East has suggested that the Qatar bid is part of a wider “pattern” by funds linked to the state. Mohamed has criticised Qatar for its human rights stance and says people must be “worried” about surrendering power to the country while it remains authoritarian. It has been suggested by PA that most United fans prefer the Qatar bid over that of Ratcliffe.
Tottenham Hotspur is hopeful of finding a head coach quickly after Luis Enrique and Feyenoord's Arne Slot emerged as the frontrunners for the position. Enrique, who is out of work, has been contacted by the club, but Slot is tied to Feyenoord by contract, although he would find the promise of double his annual salary attractive. To hire the Dutchman, Tottenham would need to pay £6m ($7.7m) in compensation to Feyenoord and guarantee him control over the first-team squad. Meanwhile, Spurs' chairman Daniel Levy is also looking for a new sporting director.
Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, has failed to make progress towards the goal of Scottish independence and is no longer considered one of the UK’s top 10 politicians, according to journalist Simon Jenkins. While Sturgeon was successful in lasting a long time as first minister, Jenkins argues that independence was the only test for her. Jenkins suggests that Sturgeon should be replaced by Stephen Flynn, the new leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons who has impressed as a speaker in Parliament despite his party’s downturn in Scotland.
Tejay Fletcher, the mastermind behind the £100m iSpoof fraud platform, has been sentenced in the UK to over 13 years in prison at Southwark Crown Court. Fletcher's website offered subscribers digital tools enabling them to pose as bank staff so as to scam their victims, many of whom were UK bank customers. Prosecution noted losses in excess of £43m in the UK alone from iSpoof's activities. Fletcher personally received bitcoin worth £2m from the scam and was found to have a Lamborghini, two Range Rovers and a Rolex when arrested.
Former England footballer and BBC presenter Gary Lineker is being recognised with a "Sport and Human Rights" award in Rome for his advocacy of refugees and migrants. Amnesty International referred to Lineker as a "staunch advocate". In March, Lineker was taken off air by the BBC after he compared the UK government's language on refugees to that of 1930s Germany. The corporation acted after he refused to apologise or promise not to voice his political opinions in future.
A former journalist and news editor has testified at the high court in London as part of a case brought against Mirror Group Newspapers over alleged unlawful information-gathering, including phone hacking and the hiring of private investigators. Harry, Duke of Sussex, is among the four “representative” claimants in the case. The defence has denied that there is any evidence of voicemail interception in any of the four cases. The trial is expected to last between six and seven weeks.
