International News
Doctors In England Launch New Strike Ahead Of Election
Junior hospital doctors in England began a five-day strike on Thursday, a week before a general election in which the state of the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS) is a major issue.
It follows nearly a dozen similar protests by doctors below specialist, consultant level over the last 18 months.
The NHS is grappling with a massive backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A recent survey suggested that less than a quarter of Britons were satisfied with the NHS, an unprecedented level.
As well as delays to operations and starting cancer treatment, the public also face long waits to see a doctor at their local surgery.
The doctors have been asking for 35-percent “pay restoration” as a starting position amid a cost-of-living crisis.
They have said they will call off the action if Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak comes to the table with a credible commitment to increase their pay.
Shivram Sharma, a junior doctor working in London, told AFP he and his peers were protesting “because we’ve been in dispute with the government for 20 months… and we’re yet to be provided a credible offer”.
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He added: “Doctors are tired. We’re frustrated but we’re ultimately scared… We’ve seen the quality of care in this country decline.”
– Pay restoration –
Sharma said patients were being short-changed and having to endure longer waiting times for treatment, particularly in accident and emergency, and doctors were leaving the profession.
“We need to keep doctors here and stop them from leaving because of the poor conditions and poor pay,” he said on a picket line out Saint Thomas’ Hospital in central London.
“Until we deal with that, the waiting list will continue to go up (and) wards will continue to remain understaffed.”
Central to the junior doctors’ demands is to increase pay from £15 (just under $19) an hour to £20.
The deputy chair of the British Medical Association’s Junior Doctor Committee, Sumi Manirajan, said wages had not kept up with inflation over the last 15 years and doctors have to pay thousands out of pocket for indemnity fees, courses and exams.
Manirajan said the government was already making a number of public spending commitments for the general election on July 4.
“Rishi Sunak has made a commitment to spend £2.5 billion on a national (military or civic) service. It would cost £1 billion to pay the doctors,” she said.
The government had already “wasted three billion pounds fighting us”, she added.
“So the money is there. It’s a political choice on where they spend it.”
The strike runs until Tuesday, two days before a general election which the main opposition Labour party is expected to win.
Labour’s health spokesman, Wes Streeting, has said any Labour government would not meet the 35-percent demand but that there is “space for a discussion”.
Decades-high inflation in 2023 saw workers from sectors across the economy, from teachers to train drivers, stage walkouts.
The government, quasi-public agencies and private sector firms have resolved many of the other pay disputes. But some remain outstanding, such as with the junior doctors.
Sunak’s government has said the doctors’ demands are unaffordable because of stretched public finances.
It has accused the strike organisers of being politically motivated.
AFP
Central to the junior doctors’ demands is to increase pay from £15 (just under $19) an hour to £20.
The deputy chair of the British Medical Association’s Junior Doctor Committee, Sumi Manirajan, said wages had not kept up with inflation over the last 15 years and doctors have to pay thousands out of pocket for indemnity fees, courses and exams.
Manirajan said the government was already making a number of public spending commitments for the general election on July 4.
“Rishi Sunak has made a commitment to spend £2.5 billion on a national (military or civic) service. It would cost £1 billion to pay the doctors,” she said.
The government had already “wasted three billion pounds fighting us”, she added.
“So the money is there. It’s a political choice on where they spend it.”
The strike runs until Tuesday, two days before a general election which the main opposition Labour party is expected to win.
Labour’s health spokesman, Wes Streeting, has said any Labour government would not meet the 35-percent demand but that there is “space for a discussion”.
Decades-high inflation in 2023 saw workers from sectors across the economy, from teachers to train drivers, stage walkouts.
The government, quasi-public agencies and private sector firms have resolved many of the other pay disputes. But some remain outstanding, such as with the junior doctors.
Sunak’s government has said the doctors’ demands are unaffordable because of stretched public finances.
It has accused the strike organisers of being politically motivated.
AFP
A Nigerian man and registered sex offender, Babatunde Odutola, has been sentenced to prison in the UK after exposing himself and masturbating in front of a woman on a train heading to Manchester.
Odutola, 36, who has no fixed address, was sentenced to 44 weeks in prison at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 14, after pleading guilty to outraging public decency and violating a suspended sentence order.
The incident took place around 7 p.m. on Friday, September 11, on a train traveling through Cheshire towards Manchester Piccadilly railway station.
According to the British Transport Police, Odutola approached a woman on the train, looked her up and down, and became aggressive when she refused to engage with him.
He then exposed himself while sitting in a wheelchair and began masturbating while staring at the woman and telling her to “come over.”
A fellow passenger intervened and helped escort the distressed woman from the carriage. Police reports indicate that CCTV footage showed Odutola continuing to masturbate as other passengers walked through the carriage.
British Transport Police officers arrested him after the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly. He was prosecuted and jailed within 72 hours of the incident.
Detective Constable Leonidas Christoforou of the British Transport Police stated that Odutola’s behavior was “terrifying” for the victim, whom he allegedly targeted while she was traveling alone.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has declined Nigeria’s request for an upward review of its 2027 Hajj allocation, leaving the country’s quota unchanged despite growing demand from intending pilgrims nationwide.
The Commission disclosed that it had formally engaged the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, seeking additional pilgrimage slots to accommodate the increasing number of Nigerian Muslims desirous of undertaking the sacred journey and to address appeals from several state pilgrims’ welfare boards for enhanced allocations.
However, Saudi authorities communicated their inability to grant additional slots, citing capacity limitations, structural constraints within the holy sites, and the Kingdom’s policy of strict adherence to approved country quotas under the current operational framework.
Consequently, Nigeria’s allocation for the 2027 Hajj exercise remains fixed at 35,000 slots for government pilgrims and 15,000 slots for licensed tour operators, bringing the country’s total approved allocation to 50,000 pilgrims.
Commenting on the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NAHCON, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, said the Commission fully understands the disappointment the decision may cause many aspiring pilgrims and state pilgrim boards that had hoped for additional allocations.
According to him, the Commission explored all available diplomatic and operational channels in pursuit of an increased quota but respects the final decision of the Saudi authorities.
“We appreciate the deep spiritual desire of many Nigerian Muslims to perform Hajj and understand the expectations of states and stakeholders seeking additional slots. While every effort was made to secure an upward review, the Saudi authorities have communicated their final position based on operational realities and capacity considerations,” Ambassador Yusuf stated.
The NAHCON Chairman urged state pilgrims’ welfare boards, agencies and licensed tour operators to make judicious and transparent use of their approved allocations while ensuring strict compliance with all timelines established by the Commission and the Saudi Nusuk platform.
He emphasized that the deadline for uploading the data of all prospective pilgrims for the 2027 Hajj exercise remains September 26, 2026, warning that no extensions would be granted under any circumstance.
“Kindly note that the deadline for uploading prospective pilgrims’ data remains September 26, 2026. We urge all partners, state pilgrim boards, tour operators and representatives to ensure that all required information is submitted before this date, as no extensions will be granted,” he said.
Ambassador Yusuf further advised intending pilgrims who may be unable to secure a slot under the approved 2027 allocation not to lose hope, revealing that preparations for the subsequent pilgrimage season have already commenced.
“Individuals who were unable to secure a slot for the upcoming Hajj are encouraged to register for the 2028 Hajj. The Commission has officially opened the registration portal for this period, and applications are now being accepted,” he added.
South African police have arrested five suspects after rescuing a 25-year-old e-hailing driver who was allegedly kidnapped, raped and held for ransom in Cape Town.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement on Sunday that Steenberg police rescued the driver after he was allegedly raped by two female suspects and held at ransom by the group.
Police were alerted by the victim’s brother after the suspects contacted him and demanded R4,000 in cash for the driver’s release.
According to SAPS, the police used the victim’s vehicle tracker to locate him at Southampton Road in Heathfield, where he was rescued.
“Steenberg police rescued a 25-year-old e-hailing driver after he was raped and held at ransom by two female suspects and three males yesterday,” the police said.
The victim had reportedly met one of the female suspects the previous week through his e-hailing business.
According to police, the two exchanged telephone numbers and communicated throughout the week before arranging to meet.
“When he went to meet her, he was kidnapped by the suspects and the females raped him,” SAPS said.
Police subsequently arrested the two female suspects, aged 23 and 34, as well as three male suspects aged 16, 42 and 48.
The five suspects are expected to appear before the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 14, 2026.
SAPS said they would face charges relating to the alleged kidnapping and rape.
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