Author: News Desk

London: Up to 9.6 million UK workers are set to benefit from statutory sick pay reforms, according to unions, amid strong public support despite concerns from some employers. From Monday, around 8.4 million employees who rely on statutory sick pay, the minimum amount employers are required to pay, will receive payment from the first day of illness instead of the fourth day, according to analysis by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Additionally, 1.2 million workers who previously earned too little to qualify for statutory sick pay under the £125-a-week threshold will now be eligible. https://twitter.com/The_TUC/status/2041018062372323543 The TUC highlighted that these…

Dhaka: Bangladesh has rolled out an emergency vaccination campaign targeting more than one million children as a fast-spreading measles outbreak continues to impact the country. According to figures released by the health ministry, the outbreak has so far resulted in 17 confirmed deaths, with an additional 113 suspected fatalities and more than 7,500 suspected cases reported nationwide. The campaign is being led by the health ministry in collaboration with UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. It has been launched across 18 high-risk districts, according to a joint press release. Children aged between six months and five…

London: Several weather warnings across the UK have been lifted after the worst impacts of Storm Dave passed through, although some alerts remain in place as the storm continues to pose risks in certain areas. An amber wind warning linked to Storm Dave covering parts of northern England, Scotland and Wales expired at 3 am on April 5. Yellow warnings for wind in Northern Ireland and snow in the Scottish Highlands were also lifted, along with alerts for northern England and Wales that ended at 7 am. However, a yellow warning related to Storm Dave remains active for mainland Scotland,…

Vatican: During the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo led Catholics worldwide in celebrating the holiest night of the Christian calendar, urging people not to feel numbed by the scale of global conflicts but to work toward peace actively. The first US pope, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war, highlighted that mistrust and fear have been allowed to “sever the bonds between us through war, injustice and the isolation of peoples and nations.” The Pope encouraged the faithful not to allow themselves to be paralyzed by fear, urging them to follow the…

Moscow: Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of Telegram, has claimed that Russia’s efforts to block Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) led to a major disruption in a domestic payment system, while highlighting growing public resistance to digital restrictions. According to Durov, the issue caused widespread inconvenience, affecting everyday transactions across the country. In response to the outage, the Moscow Metro temporarily allowed passengers to pass through turnstiles without payment, while some venues, including a regional zoo, requested visitors to pay in cash due to system failures. Russia has, in recent years, intensified control over digital communications, including repeated shutdowns of mobile…

London: The rapid rise of reformer pilates has prompted warnings from industry bodies, who say weak regulation is creating a ‘wild west’ environment marked by underqualified instructors and a growing number of injuries. Pilates, originally developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century, is not subject to formal legal regulation. As its popularity has surged, experts say many studios are offering reformer-based classes led by instructors with limited training, raising concerns about safety and quality standards. Reformer pilates involves a low-impact, full-body workout performed on a machine equipped with a sliding carriage, springs, straps, and a foot bar to…

London: Storm Dave is set to strike parts of Britain over the Easter weekend, bringing damaging winds of up to 90mph, heavy rain, and snowfall, according to the Met Office. The storm, the fourth named weather system of the year, is expected to impact northern regions from April 4 to April 6, raising concerns over widespread disruption. Storm Dave is forecast to rapidly intensify on April 4 as it approaches the UK from the west. By the afternoon, wind speeds will increase significantly, with gusts of 60–70mph across parts of Scotland and 80–90mph possible in exposed coastal areas, particularly in…

New Delhi: In India, soon-to-be brides and grooms are increasingly seeking weight-loss drugs as part of their pre-wedding preparations, with wellness clinics incorporating these medications into transformation packages alongside skin treatments and hairstyle makeovers. Clinics such as Klarity Skin Clinic have promoted programs combining guided nutrition, Mounjaro injections, and structured workouts, targeting rapid weight reduction before weddings. Medical professionals report a significant surge in inquiries about weight-loss medications, particularly Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, the first GLP-1 drug in India approved for both diabetes and weight management. Demand for Mounjaro has reportedly surpassed interest in Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, with many patients requesting treatments…

Sydney: Australia has announced sweeping new restrictions on gambling advertising, including a ban on celebrity endorsements and tighter controls on online promotions, in an effort to address mounting public health concerns. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government will restrict online gambling advertisements to users who are logged into verified accounts and aged over 18. The move comes nearly three years after a government review recommended a complete ban on such advertising, citing escalating public health costs. Under the new framework, gambling advertisers, who contribute significantly to free-to-air television and sports revenues, will face stricter limits. Television ads will be…

London: Teachers have called for an end to censorship in school libraries, with their union warning that such actions ‘should ring alarm bells for all of us.’ The concerns were raised during the annual conference of the National Education Union in Brighton, following reports that a school in Salford had removed dozens of classic titles from its library shelves. According to Index on Censorship, more than 130 books were targeted at Lowry Academy. These included well-known works such as 1984 by George Orwell and the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer. The organisation also reported that the school librarian had been…