New TUC boss demands urgent meeting with Sunak to resolve public sector strikes January 3, 2023 The new General Secretary of the TUC has called for an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister in a bid to break the deadlocked industrial disputes sweeping across the country. Paul Nowak called for a change in government direction, saying ministers should open pay negotiations with unions. In a letter to Rishi Sunak, Nowak said [...]
Barracks blast leaves 63 Russians dead as pressure on Putin grows over war in Ukraine January 3, 2023 A blast which killed 63 Russians in a temporary barracks has once again ignited anger at home – with nationalist bloggers putting pressure on Kremlin top brass and Vladimir Putin Russia acknowledged on Monday that scores of its troops were killed in one of the Ukraine war’s deadliest strikes, drawing demands from Russian nationalist bloggers [...]
Brexit: Protocol ‘too strict’ and mistakes made on all sides, Ireland’s Varadkar says January 3, 2023 Brexit mistakes were made on all sides according to Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, but vowed to be “flexible and reasonable” when attempting to solve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol. He conceded that the post-Brexit protocol is “too strict” and said he understands unionist concerns that the treaty has made them feel less British. Mr [...]
Ukraine says 63 Russian soldiers were killed in strike on military base January 2, 2023 Some 63 Russian soldiers have been killed by a Ukrainian strike on a military facility in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukrainian forces fired six rockets from a HIMARS launch system and two of them were shot down, a Russian defence ministry statement said. The strike, using a US-supplied precision weapon that has proven critical in [...]
Tell-all book to reveal ‘blatant calumnies and dark manoeuvres’ against Pope Benedict XVI January 2, 2023 Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s longtime personal secretary has written a tell-all book that his publisher has promised would tell the truth about the “blatant calumnies”, “dark manoeuvres”, mysteries and scandals that sullied the reputation of a pontiff best known for his historic resignation. Archbishop Georg Gaenswein’s Nothing But The Truth: My Life Beside Pope Benedict [...]
MoD accused of ‘blowing millions’ on car hires while cutting Army size January 2, 2023 The Ministry of Defence has been accused of “blowing millions” of pounds on hire cars and taxis last year while cutting the size of the Army. A freedom of information (FoI) request by the PA news agency revealed the MoD spent £16.6m on hire cars for staff in the year to November, up from £12.9m [...]
Ukraine shoots down wave of Moscow’s Iranian-made exploding Kamikaze drones January 2, 2023 Russia has deployed exploding drones in another night-time attack on Ukraine, officials said, as the Kremlin pressed its strategy of targeting civilian infrastructure to wear down resistance to its invasion. The barrage was the latest in a series of relentless year-end attacks, including one that killed three civilians on New Year’s Eve. According to the [...]
Britain launches £75m nuclear fuel fund in renewed bid to wean UK off Russian energy January 2, 2023 The UK will continue to wean itself off dependence on Russian energy by ramping up nuclear fuel investment by £75m a year. Minister of State for Energy and Climate Graham Stuart announced the increase as the Kremlin’s war against Kyiv moves into 2023, and Europe looks to further isolate Moscow. The government will back nuclear [...]
‘Ramp up’ arms production to defend Ukraine against the Kremlin, Nato chief says January 1, 2023 Western allies need to “ramp up” arms production in the coming months to ensure Ukraine is kept fully supplied in its war against Russia, the secretary-general of Nato has said. Jens Stoltenberg said the conflict is consuming an “enormous amount” of munitions, amid signs that President Vladimir Putin is digging in for the “long haul”. [...]
Work and pensions minister quits for ‘personal reasons’ January 1, 2023 Work and pensions minister Baroness Stedman-Scott has stepped down for “personal reasons”, Downing Street has said. Lady Stedman-Scott, 67, has been a minister in the department since 2019, having previously been a Government whip in the House of Lords. She is replaced by Viscount Younger of Leckie, who moves from the whips’ office where he [...]