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Strike: UK Records Largest Walkout In 12 Years

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Half a million workers went on strike in Britain on Wednesday, calling for higher wages in the largest such walkout in over a decade, closing schools and severely disrupting transport.

As Europe battles a cost-of-living crisis, Britain’s umbrella labour organisation the Trades Union Congress called it the “biggest day of strike action since 2011”.

The latest strikes come a day after more than 1.27 million took to the streets in France, increasing pressure on the French government over pension reform plans.

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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for pay rises to be “reasonable” and affordable” warning that big pay rises would jeopardise attempts to tame inflation.

But unions have accused millionaire Sunak of being out of touch with the challenges faced by ordinary working people struggling to make ends meet in the face of low paid, insecure work and spiralling costs.

Teachers and train drivers were among the latest groups to act, as well as border force workers at UK air and seaports.

“The workload is always bigger and bigger and with the inflation, our salary is lower and lower,” London teacher Nigel Adams, 57, told AFP as he joined thousands of teachers marching through central London.

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We’re exhausted. We’re paying the price and so are the children,” he added as protesters held up placards reading “Pay Up” and “We can’t put your kids first if you put their teachers last”.

Britain has witnessed months of strikes by tens of thousands of workers – including postal staff, lawyers, nurses and employees in the retail sector — as UK inflation raced above 11 percent, the highest level in more than 40 years.

Job centre worker and union representative, Graham, who preferred not to give his last name said workers had no choice but to strike faced with soaring costs.

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“Some of our members, even though they are working, still have to make visits to food banks,” he said.

Not only are wages not keeping up, but things like fares, council tax and rents are going up. Anything we get is eaten away,” he added.

– ‘Slap in face’ –

At London’s King’s Cross rail station, Kate Lewis, a 50-year-old charity worker, said she sympathised with the strikers despite her train being delayed.

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I understand. We are all in the same boat. All impacted by inflation,” she said.

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Another major commuter hub in the capital, London Bridge station, was completely closed.

One train driver who gave his name as Tony, 61, said the sort of pay rises on offer were insulting, especially in the wake of the pandemic.

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“We worked all through Covid. We were being praised as key workers and then there is this slap in the face,” he said.

I was leaving (home) at 3 am to go to work. People were having barbecues, you could hear the bottles. I think we deserve a pay increase that keeps up with inflation.”

Government and company bosses are standing firm over wage demands.

With thousands of schools closed for the day, Education Minister Gillian Keegan told Times Radio she was “disappointed” teachers had walked out.

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But union boss Mark Serwotka said the government’s position was “unsustainable”.

“It’s not feasible that they can sit back with this unprecedented amount of industrial action growing, because it’s half a million today,” he told Sky News.

Next week, we have paramedics, and we have nurses, then will then be the firefighters,” he added, warning that unions were prepared to strike throughout the summer.

Prime Minister Sunak on Wednesday told parliament the government had given teachers the “highest pay rise in 30 years” including nine percent for newly qualified teachers.

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He urged opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer to say “that the strikes are wrong and we should be backing our school children”

– Nationwide rallies –

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The latest official data shows 1.6 million working days were lost from June-November last year because of strikes – the highest six-month total in more than three decades – according to the Office for National Statistics.

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A total of 467,000 working days were lost to walkouts in November alone, the highest level since 2011, the ONS added.

Alongside the strikes, unions are also staging rallies across the country against the Conservative government’s plans to legislate against public sector strike action.

Sunak has introduced a draft law requiring some frontline workers to maintain a minimum level of service during walkouts.
AFP

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VIDEO: Arsenal Pay Tribute To 14-year-old British-Nigerian Fan Daniel Anjorin Killed In UK

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Arsenal fans have paid tribute to the late British-Nigerian teenage fan Daniel Anjorin, who was tragically killed by a sword-wielding assailant in London on Tuesday.

During the 3-0 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday, Arsenal paused the game in the 14th minute, with fans applauding in tribute to 14-year-old Anjorin, whose favourite player was Bukayo Saka.

Anjorin’s image was displayed on the scoreboard, accompanied by banners reading “R.I.P Daniel” in different sections of the Emirates Stadium as a mark of respect for the Arsenal supporter.

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TV presenter Piers Morgan was among a number of Arsenal supporters who paid tribute to the young fan during the game.

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Anjorin’s family has issued a statement paying tribute to their son.

His family issued a statement via the Metropolitan Police that said, “We as a family are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Daniel. It is difficult for us at this time to process what has happened to him and that he will never come home. Daniel had left the house for school and then he was gone.

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“Our children have lost their loving and precious brother and we have lost the most loved and amazing son. We would like to send our best wishes to the other victims of this unthinkable incident.

“We would also like to thank the local community for all of their support during this most difficult time. We ask that the media please respect our privacy and refrain from contacting us or our family.”

READ ALSO: 14-year-old Boy Killed In London Sword Attack

According to The Guardian, a fundraiser set up for his family has raised more than £120,000 in three days, with more than 7,000 people donating.

Anjorin died on Tuesday morning as he walked to school in Hainault, in the east of Britain’s capital, when he was attacked by a man wielding what appeared to be a Samurai-type sword.

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The suspect, a Spanish-Brazilian national, Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, was remanded in custody by a London Magistrates Court on Thursday.

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Find The Man Who Stole $30000 From Me, Get $2000 Reward – Nigerian Man Cries Out

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Transaction details

A Nigerian man has offered a $2000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest of a man who allegedly defrauded him and his friends of over N42 million (approximately $30,000 USD).

Addressing the public on X.com, he said, “Hi everyone, this person defrauded my friends and I.

“We will be offering $2,000 (USD) to anyone who has info on him or knows of his whereabouts.”

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According to the victim, the suspect, who moved into the victim’s apartment, spun a web of lies, claiming to need financial assistance for various reasons, including a dying nephew and financial problems with the Federal Inland Revenue Services

He narrated, “Roughly three months ago, The dude in the video came to my apartment in Lagos sharing that he had some financial problems with the FIRS(Federal Inland Revenue Services).

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“He mentioned how he got locked out of his funds of over N107,000,000 (USD 71,000+).

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“We (my friends and I), were sympathetic to his cause and decided to lend a helping hand.”

The victim revealed that he first encountered the suspect on a gaming platform, Fortnite, in 2023.

They bonded over shared interests and his alleged profession as a skilled 3D and Motion Artist.

“I was happy to connect with him because he presented himself as a well-skilled 3D & Motion Artist.

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“He also shared his Upwork profile with me, which was very convincing,” he added.

Detailing the events that unfolded, he said the suspect moved into their apartment in early February after a period of lodging in hotels and other residences.

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He added that he even financed a computer rental for the suspect, who claimed it was essential for his work.

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He wrote “Here is a detailed breakdown of the series of events that played out while he lived with us (myself and my flatmates):

“He was shuffling between hotels and apartments in January before he finally moved in with us early February

“He mentioned he needed a computer to continue working as he didn’t have any at the time, so, I offered to help with the rental.

“I sent him the money to purchase the computer on rental about three times and he never for once, received any computer.

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“He kept on spinning lies around how there was either a delay or how the money miraculously went into thin air without achieving its purpose. At the time, I believed all these.

“We also had to raise about N1,700,000 to help assist with the admission of his dying nephew into the hospital because, according to him, the child had suffered internal bleeding after falling off a trampoline.

“He used this and other tactics to coerce us into giving him more cash.”

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The victim revealed that in March, the suspect purportedly convinced him and his friend to accompany him to Abuja to address his FIRS-related issues.

He shared screenshots of transactions made to the suspect’s account, urging the public to scrutinise the details for evidence.

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PHOTOS: Moment 23-year-old Miss Ecuador Beauty Queen Is Gunned Down In Hail Of Bullets

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Shocking CCTV footage shows two gunmen bursting into an eatery before killing the former Miss Ecuador contestant.

The former beauty queen, seen in the footage wearing a blue top, was talking to a man when the gunman, circled, walked in

Landy Párraga Goyburo can be seen standing next to a man while chatting with him inside the restaurant.

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She can be seen glancing towards the door as her assailant sneaks into the place without her noticing.

As the first gunman runs towards them, Párraga drops to the floor while the man next to her ducks for cover.

The masked attacker quickly opens fire, shooting towards both Párraga and the man.

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He then stands over her as she lies helpless on the floor and appears to shoot her repeatedly at point blank range.

Both attackers then dash out of the door and flee the scene.

Images later showed the former beauty queen lying motionless on the floor in a pool of blood.

Cops are now investigating the murder while trying to identify the assailants.

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Párraga was a former Miss Ecuador contestant, having represented Los Ríos Province in 2022.

She had more than a million followers across her social media accounts.

READ ALSO: EFCC Chairman Narrates How 17-year-old Hacked His Computer, Bank Account

In December 2023, her name was mentioned in a chat made public by the Attorney General’s Office as part of a major organised crime case it is investigating.

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One of the 52 people being prosecuted in the case is Helive Angulo.

In the chat, Angulo told the drug trafficker Leandro Norero, whose assets he managed, that the police had asked him about Párraga.

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Norero cryptically wrote: “If my wife comes across anything about her, I’m screwed.

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“My friend, her name cannot come out anywhere. Otherwise, my world will come crashing down.”

Norero was killed in prison in 2022, six months after his imprisonment.

Money transfers made to Párraga’s bank account are under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.

The office never prosecuted Párraga and she had never publicly commented on the case.

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SOURCE: THE US SUN

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