Author: Press Room

As many as half a million workers are striking across Britain on Wednesday, closing schools, canceling university lectures and bringing most of the rail network to a standstill in what unions say is the biggest single day of walkouts in more than a decade. Teachers, university staff, train drivers and civil servants — including staff checking passports at airports — are striking in large numbers over pay and working conditions as living standards continue to plunge after years of below-inflation raises. At the same time, the Trades Union Congress, which represents 48 unions, is holding over 75 rallies across the…

GENEVA: Several Indonesian residents have submitted a legal complaint to a Swiss court against the world’s top cement-maker Holcim, which they claim is doing “too little” to cut carbon emissions, a statement by civil society groups backing the complainants showed on Tuesday (Feb 1). A spokesperson for the Zug-based company said that climate change was a “top priority for Holcim at the heart of our strategy”. “We do not believe that court cases focused on single companies are an effective mechanism to tackle the global complexity of climate action,” he said. The civil case was first initiated in July last…

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The ABC’s Four Corners allegations towards Opus Dei Schools were referred from the Premier’s office to an independent authority, according to NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.“That complaint against the schools in that program had never been made to that independent authority or to the Education Minister’s office,” Mr Perrottet told Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.“I’ve been very blessed with a great education.” Source: Sky News

A radioactive capsule which fell off a truck on a highway in Western Australia has been found after a frantic search.WA’s Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson confirmed the “extraordinary result” in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.”The search crews have quite literally found the needle in the haystack,” he said.News has never been more important. Stream more than 20 global & local news sources with Flash. New to Flash? Try 1 month freeThe capsule was found about 50 kilometres south from where it was last seen.It was found by a team from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and…

A man and a woman have been taken to hospital after a QantasLink flight hit severe turbulence, forcing the aircraft to turn back to Brisbane.  Flight QF2376 was en route to Hervey Bay when it was forced to return to Brisbane Airport on Wednesday after encountering sudden turbulence.Queensland Ambulance Service arrived to meet the plane on the tarmac just before 2pm and treated several passengers at the scene. A QAS spokesperson said a woman with neck pain and a man suffering a laceration to his head were taken to St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital in a stable condition.Love news? Stream 25+ news…

The man who flew into an ax-wielding rampage at a Lower East Side McDonald’s last year was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bike in Manhattan Friday evening. Michael Palacios was riding his cargo bike along Fifth Avenue with his dog Simba when an SUV driver struck them from behind and then sped off, according to surveillance video posted to Instagram by Palacios. The 32-year-old bike messenger said he insulted the person’s driving before they rammed him with the vehicle near East 50th Street just before 4:40 p.m. “What happened? I told a bad driver he drives like s–t… I proceeded…

Authorities scanning a remote Australian highway for a tiny missing radioactive capsule have found it by the roadside, after a challenging search likened to trying to find a needle in a haystack. State emergency authorities announced the discovery on Wednesday afternoon, six days after the capsule, containing highly radioactive Caesium-137, was discovered missing from a package sent hundreds of kilometers from a Rio Tinto mining site in northern Western Australia to the capital Perth. “Locating this object was a monumental challenge – the search groups have quite literally found the needle in the haystack,” state Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson…

TAIPEI, Taiwan: Taiwan has scrambled fighter jets, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations of 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that are part of Beijing’s strategy to unsettle and intimidate the island. The large-scale Chinese deployment comes as Beijing increases preparations for a potential blockade or outright attack on Taiwan that has stirred major concerns among military leaders in the United States, Taiwan’s key ally. In a memo last month, US Air Force General Mike Minihan instructed officers to be prepared for a US-China conflict over Taiwan in 2025. As head of…

Union members gather outside Westminster Central Hall, in London, on Feb. 1 ahead of a march and rally against the Government’s controversial plans for a new law on minimum service levels during strikes.Kirsty O’connor – Pa Images | Pa Images | Getty ImagesLONDON — More than half a million British workers are due to take strike action through Wednesday, with unions across a range of sectors in industrial disputes over pay and working conditions.They include 300,000 teachers in England, who the National Education Union says have experienced at least a 23% real-terms pay cut since 2010; teachers across two unions…