Headline

UK Plans To Ease Visa Policy Amid Labour Shortages

Published

1 year ago

March 9, 2023

Editor

Britain on Thursday said that it was planning to ease access to visas to help address labour shortages, which have been partly sparked by its tighter post-Brexit immigration rules.

The government adopted a points-based immigration model following its exit from the European Union in January 2021.

“We work… to ensure our points-based system delivers for the UK and works in the best interests of the economy, by prioritising the skills and talent we need and encouraging long-term investment in the domestic workforce,” a government spokesperson said.

“This includes reviewing the shortage occupation list to ensure it reflects the current labour market.”

The shortage list seeks to relax visa access for professions in short supply.

Many British companies have long called for the government to ease its visa policy.

The hospitality, road haulage and agriculture sectors have been hit particularly hard by European labour shortages sparked by Brexit and exacerbated by Covid fallout.

The UK currently has about one million unfilled jobs, according to recent data from the Office for National Statistics.

That figure has been pushed higher by including numbers of Britons choosing to leave the labour market as a result of long-term illness or early retirement.

The ONS published survey data Thursday showing that more than a quarter of UK firms with 10 or more employees were experiencing shortages in late February. That was broadly the same as in late January.

“Many (businesses) will have little option but to increase wages to attract and retain staff,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown.

“This piles on yet more pressure at a time when higher energy costs and rising prices of goods are still causing headaches.”

The UK government and the Bank of England have urged employers to show restraint, warning that big pay hikes would jeopardise attempts to tame inflation.

Strikes have, however, multiplied in Britain in recent months as workers protest over salaries that have failed to keep pace with decades-high consumer price inflation, worsening a cost-of-living crisis.
AFP

Headline

Mother Throws Disabled 6-year-old Son Into Crocodile Infested River [PHOTOS]

Published

1 hour ago

May 7, 2024

Editor

A mother has thrown her disabled six-year-old son into a crocodile-infested river where he has reportedly been mauled to death by reptiles.

Savitri Kumar, 26, from Uttara Kannada, a district in Karnataka, India, had a heated argument with the boy’s father, Ravi Kumar, 27, who repeatedly ordered her to “throw the child away,” the Times of India reports.

Police say her husband allegedly questioned her decision to give birth to a child with a disability.

When the parents fought about their son again on Saturday evening, May 4, Savitri was “distressed” and reportedly threw her son into a waste canal that flows into the Kali river, which is infested with crocodiles.

Father of the son

Neighbours who witnessed this called the police, who deployed divers to search for the boy in the water, but to no avail, as it was dark.

They returned on Sunday morning, May 5, and found the child’s body, which showed bite marks all over.

The boy suffered severe injuries and was missing a hand, which a police officer suggested indicated that the boy was mauled to death by one or more crocodiles.

A post mortem has been ordered to determine the six-year-old’s cause of death.

The couple also has another son aged two and is said to frequently fight about their older son’s speech impediment.

Officers have launched an investigation into the incident.

A police officer told local media that it was a “murder” case and that both the husband and wife have been arrested.

Headline

‘Shame On You’- Ugandan Senator Knocked For Showing Off Wooden Bridge He Constructed

Published

2 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Editor

A Ugandan Senator took to X to proudly show off the bridge he repaired for his constituents.

“People in Ndorwa East can now use the Rubira bridge which I recently repaired,” Hon. Protazio Begumisa, the MP Ndorwa East wrote on X as he proudly posed on a wooden bridge.

Read reactions below:

Headline

Living-in-China: Meet Half-Nigerian, Half-Chinese Youth Who Speaks Igbo, English, Chinese Fluently [VIDEO]

Published

19 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Editor

L-R: Emmanuel Chibike, and Real Mc Ezegetive Comedy

A half-Nigerian and half-Chinese man, Emmanuel Chibike, has left social media users in awe with his ability to speak Igbo, English, and Chinese fluently.

The discovery was made by content creator and social media influencer known as Real Mc Ezegetive Comedy during his visit to an estate in China.

“If you look around, you’ll see that I’m in an estate in China. I met our brother, and as I was looking at him, I was wondering if he was Chinese,” Real Mc Ezegetive Comedy said in a video interview posted on Monday.

“I noticed that as I was speaking (in Igbo language), he was laughing, and I was wondering if he could understand what I was speaking,” he added.

It was then that the comedian learned of Chibike’s unique background.

“After discussions with him, he explained who he was to me. Apparently, his father, who is from Ozubulu (a town in Anambra State), came to China and married a Chinese woman,” he explained.

Chibike’s ability to effortlessly switch between the three languages left a lasting impression on the influencer. “This boy here, he can speak English, Chinese, and Igbo languages,” he marvelled.

In the video, Chibike showcased his multilingual skills by introducing himself in English, Chinese, and then Igbo.

His fluency in all three languages show his knowledge of his cultural heritage.

Real Mc Ezegetive Comedy seized the opportunity to encourage Igbo parents to teach their children their native language.

“It is quite shameful that some Igbo children based in Igbo land can’t speak their native language,” he lamented, emphasising the importance of preserving linguistic and cultural identities.

Watch the video below courtesy The PUNCH:

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐢𝐧-𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚: 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧, 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐈𝐠𝐛𝐨, 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡, 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲https://t.co/a0iM56ZKoL pic.twitter.com/gXCDUpObjZ
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) May 6, 2024
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