Author: Press Room

Britain’s industrial unrest has been branded the second winter of discontent (although not a patch on the mass walkouts that hit the UK in 1978-79) and is set to peak in the coming days, with rail and postal workers, NHS staff and driving instructors (yes, that one surprised me too) all walking out over pay and conditions.A ballot among RMT members for the latest pay offer to rail workers closes on Monday with the rail union recommending that members reject the proposed deal. The offer could have been significantly higher but a 10 per cent pay rise over two years…

A group of Canadians left their mark in Poland during a recent medical mission. The volunteers used their medical expertise to help treat badly injured civilians and soldiers. Surgeries began at 8 a.m. and went until after midnight in the hospital named Powiatowy Zespot Zaktadow Opieki Zdrowotnej  in the town of Czeladz. All of the surgeons, nurses and medical staff with the Canada Ukraine Foundation’s Canada Ukraine Surgical Aid Program are volunteers who are fueled by passion.“The entire objective of this humanitarian effort is to provide comprehensive, complex surgical assistance to the casualties of that war,” Dr. Oleh Antonyshyn.The ongoing…

A boom in mainland Chinese family offices setting up in Singapore is drawing in thousands of financial professionals, including from global investment banks, creating what some finance heads are calling a new “hedge fund” industry in the city-state.Wealthy mainland Chinese moving assets out of President Xi Jinping’s China account for up to half of a rise in Singapore-based single family offices — the private wealth management firms set up for rich individuals and their relatives. Numbers have jumped nearly threefold since the coronavirus pandemic began and, according to some estimates, now total as many as 1,500.“The large family offices are…

Environmental group Greenpeace has started legal proceedings against the UK government in a bid to the stop the award of more than 100 new licences to explore for oil and gas in the North Sea.The campaign group said it had applied to the High Court for a judicial review of the decision in October to approve a new oil and gas licensing round, the first for nearly three years.Two further climate groups, Friends of the Earth and Uplift, have written to the business secretary Grant Shapps warning him that they believe the approval of the licensing process was “unlawful”, and…

Fixing the “leaky walls” of homes in England is the biggest challenge in improving energy efficiency, with “radical steps” needed to help those least able to pay to insulate their properties, a leading think-tank has warned.Four in 10, or 9m, homes have walls rated as poor or very poor, while a fifth have inefficient roofs, according to a report by the Resolution Foundation published on Monday. The problem was worst in large cities, and about two-thirds of all homes in London had “poor quality walls,” the study found. It estimated it would cost an average of £8,000 to fit a…

Russell Causley killed Carole Packman, 40, in 1985 because she wanted a divorce and was the first person in Britain to be convicted of murder without there being a bodyA man who murdered his wife will make a bid for freedom in the UK’s first public parole hearing. Russell Causley killed Carole Packman, 40, in 1985 after she sought a divorce from him. He then faked his death and evaded justice for more than a decade after staging a £790,000 insurance scam. He was jailed for Carole’s murder in 1996 and, after the conviction was quashed in 2003, jailed again…

Southeast Asian markets are in for a ‘bungee jump’ in 2023, according to JPMorganSoutheast Asian markets will move in a trajectory resembling that of a “bungee jump” next year — taking a plummet before surging in the second half of 2023, JPMorgan wrote in a report.That is likely to bee characterized by a “sharp fall followed by a rapid increase in altitude (bear market rally) followed by another decline until eventually markets come to rest at rock-bottom,” analysts led by Rajiv Batra wrote.They attributed that to weakened purchasing power in light of monetary policy tightening, lower savings and the higher…

Despite some reports by analytics firms of jumps in bookings of domestic flights and movie tickets, the moves are from low bases and make up a picture that clashes with scenes of empty subway seats at peak hour in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Re-opening queues have been more common outside pharmacies, rather than malls and stores, as people stock up on antigen tests and medicines to treat cold and flu symptoms. A spa at a mall in downtown Beijing that resumed business on Friday said most staff had returned but customers were far fewer. “Because of the…

One club are keenly watching the World Cup…Real Madrid are already putting a number of World Cup stars on their transfer wishlist, according to Spanish media outlet AS. The report reveals that England’s Jude Bellingham is Madrid’s “major target for 2023”, but the European champions have lined up Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez as an alternative if they miss out on the Borussia Dortmund midfielder. Real Madrid have also joined the chase to sign impressive Croatia centre-back Josko Gvardiol and Dutch attacker Cody Gakpo. Portugal’s breakout star Goncalo Ramos has also been linked to join as a back-up to Karim Benzema.TransfersMan Utd…

CNN  —  Former NBA All-Star and longtime head coach Paul Silas has died at the of age 79, the league announced Sunday. “We mourn the passing of former NBA All-Star and head coach Paul Silas. Paul’s lasting contributions to the game are seen through the many players and coaches he inspired, including his son, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. We send our deepest condolences to Paul’s family,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Sunday. Known for his defensive prowess, Silas was a three-time NBA champion in his 16 seasons as a player in the league. Silas was drafted…