6:45 am, April 11, 2023
Patient safety fears as junior doctors begin four-day walkout
Junior doctors across England will launch a four-day strike on Tuesday 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 walkout by members of the British Medical Association (BMA).
Doctors will mount picket lines outside hospitals from 7am until Saturday morning in the longest stoppage of the wave of unrest, which has seen nurses, ambulance crews and other health workers take action since last year.
US president Joe Biden visits to mark 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement
US president Joe Biden is expected to meet with Stormont’s main political parties as part of a visit he said will underscore his nation’s ‘commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity’ in Northern Ireland.
Biden will arrive in Northern Ireland on Tuesday as he begins a visit marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
He tweeted: ’25 years ago, Northern Ireland’s leaders chose peace. The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violence and brought stability. I look forward to marking the anniversary in Belfast, underscoring the U.S. commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity.’
Starmer recommits to campaign blaming Sunak for living costs
Sir Keir Starmer has told his shadow Cabinet that voters ‘must know that Rishi Sunak’s fingerprints are all over their struggling household budgets’.
Labour is set to launch adverts blaming the prime minister personally for the country’s economic woes, despite its attack ad campaign angering some within its ranks.
A new digital poster to be launched on Tuesday, seen by the PA news agency, says: ‘Do you think it’s right to raise taxes for working people when your family benefitted from a tax loophole? Rishi Sunak does.’ The Labour leader urged his frontbenchers to ‘continue to focus relentlessly on exposing the failures’ of the Conservative government in the run-up to May’s local elections.
Kim Jong Un vows ‘offensive’ nuclear expansion
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to enhance his nuclear arsenal in more ‘practical and offensive’ ways in the face of his rivals’ ‘frantic’ military exercises, state media said.
The comments came during a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission, held amid heightened tensions as the pace of both the North Korean weapons demonstrations and the US-South Korean joint military drills have intensified in recent weeks in a cycle of tit-for-tat.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the commission’s members discussed unspecified issues related to strengthening defence capacities and perfecting war preparations to counter the threat posed by the allies’ drills, which the North portrays as invasion rehearsals.
Inflation slowing but remains strong, say accountants BDO
Inflation is still rising rapidly, but has fallen to its lowest point for a year, a poll of polls by accountancy firm BDO has suggested.
BDO’s inflation index dropped by 2.19 points, the consultants said, dropping to 110.99 points. A score above 95 means that inflation is growing.
It is the lowest score since March 2022, but still high by historical standards as the cost of living continues to bite households and costs rise for businesses. The drop was mainly driven by a fall in what BDO calls the input inflation subindex which tracks the prices that businesses face when producing a product or a service.
Easter weekend Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Online only used car dealer Cinch announces shock redundancies
- Tesla staff shared sensitive material recorded by cameras in customers’ cars – special report
- Huge fire rips through Jaguar Land Rover Preston’s Dual Arch dealership
- Used car dealer must pay out thousands after admitting offering dangerous cars for sale
- Extinction risk: Used cars in danger of disappearing for good from car dealerships
- Used car dealer forced to rebrand Mini site after BMW claims copyright breach
- Revealed: The electric used cars that increased and decreased the most in value in March
Almost 60 per cent surge in pubs shutting for good in first quarter of 2023
More than 150 pubs have disappeared for good from English and Welsh communities over the first three months of 2023, according to new figures.
The rate of pubs being demolished or redeveloped for other purposes has increased by almost 60 per cent at the start of the year as bumper energy bills have hammered the sector.
Analysis of official government data by the commercial real estate intelligence firm Altus Group shows that the overall number of pubs in England and Wales, including those vacant and being offered to let, dropped to 39,634 at the end of the first quarter to March 31. It showed that 153 pubs vanished for good compared with the 39,787 pubs recorded in England and Wales at the end of 2022.
Britons cut back on groceries but spend more on TV subscriptions, figures show
Britons cut back on groceries and eating out in March but fuelled a resurgence in digital subscriptions to catch new seasons of popular TV programmes, figures show.
Consumer card spending grew four per cent year-on-year in March, less than half the latest Consumer Prices Index rate, including owner occupiers’ housing costs, of 9.2 per cent, according to Barclays.
However, home improvement and DIY stores enjoyed a seasonal boost while spending on digital content and subscriptions was up 4.1 per cent – its highest year-on-year rise in five months – likely driven by the latest season premieres of popular shows such as Succession, Ted Lasso and The Mandalorian.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc urges fans to stop coming to his home
Formula One driver Charles Leclerc has asked fans to respect his privacy after his address was leaked, leading to some turning up at his apartment in the past few months.
The Ferrari driver, who is from Monaco and lives in the tiny principality, pleaded with his supporters not to go too far.
‘For the past few months my home address has somehow become public, leading to people gathering beneath my apartment, ringing my bell and asking for pictures and autographs,’ Leclerc posted on his Instagram account. ‘While I’m always happy to be there for you and truly appreciate your support, please respect my privacy and refrain from coming to my house.’
Weather outlook
A dry and bright start for most today, reports BBC Weather, however a band of heavy and blustery rain will move north and eastwards across the UK.
Wintry showers tonight for Scotland, while Wales and northern and western parts of England will be clear with the odd shower. A windy night for all.
