🗞️ | NEWS DUMP: Your Roundup Of Important Happenings This Week
Good morning, It’s officially the end of another great week. Scroll down to catch up on all the important happenings of this week. Let us know what you think in the comments. Don’t forget to share!
MPs' pay will increase by 5.5% from April // MPs will get a pay rise of 5.5% from April, lifting their annual salary to £91,346, Parliament's pay and expenses watchdog has announced. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said the decision was in line with the award recently agreed for senior civil servants. The Consumer Prices Index inflation rate stood at 4% in January.
Angela Rayner wants to see Diane Abbott back as Labour MP // Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner has said she would "like to see" Diane Abbott back as a Labour MP. The party suspended Ms Abbott 11 months ago for saying Irish, Jewish and Traveller people do not face racism "all their lives". Ms Rayner said she was frustrated over the length of the investigation but the party had to follow its procedures.
UK ministers 'afraid' of Sturgeon during Covid // UK government ministers were "afraid of Nicola Sturgeon" during the pandemic, according to the first minister of Wales. Mark Drakeford told the UK Covid inquiry her "underlying ambition" for Scottish independence meant she was treated differently from other politicians. He also described Scotland's former first minister as a "formidable politician" and claimed some UK ministers avoided confrontation.
Seyi Omooba: Sacked anti-gay post actress loses tribunal appeal // An actress sacked for posting an anti-gay comment on Facebook has lost an employment tribunal ruling appeal. Seyi Omooba was due to perform as Celie - a lesbian role - in a stage production of The Color Purple, but was axed over the post, from 2014. Miss Omooba, a Christian, was ordered to pay costs to her former agency and Curve in Leicester, where she was due to perform, after losing a tribunal. Now she has lost an appeal against that tribunal ruling in the High Court
Oscars 2024: Oppenheimer sweeps awards as Cillian Murphy wins best actor // Cillian Murphy has become the first Irish-born winner of the best actor award, as Oppenheimer swept the Oscars. The film dominated proceedings, winning best picture, best director for Christopher Nolan, and best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. Murphy was named best leading actor for his acclaimed portrayal of theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer.
Israel reveals Eurovision song after weeks of wrangling // Israel has unveiled its revised entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, after the original version was rejected for its perceived political overtones. Eden Golan will now sing Hurricane, a rewritten version of October Rain, which was thought to reference the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel. The soaring, impassioned piano ballad premiered on Israeli TV on Sunday.
Cricket Scotland accused of prejudice against women // Women involved in Scottish cricket face a toxic environment and a high degree of prejudice, a new report has found. The report, commissioned by Cricket Scotland, stated that sexism is very much alive in the sport and that antiquated views are still prevalent. Trudy Lindblade, chief executive officer of Cricket Scotland, described the findings as a "damning indictment".
Rory McIlroy: Players Championship missing best players 'a shame' // Rory McIlroy is concerned that "fans are losing interest" in watching golf because of the current fragmented nature of the men's professional game. The financial pull of LIV Golf has attracted dozens of players to move from the PGA Tour to the fledgling Saudi Arabian-funded circuit. And the split means several of the world's best are not competing at this week's Players Championship in Florida.
Davis Cup Finals 2024: Manchester to co-host group stage in September // Manchester is one of four cities that will host the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals from 10-15 September. The event will take place at the AO Arena as well as in Bologna in Italy, Valencia in Spain and Zhuhai in China. Great Britain pulled off a thrilling group-stage win over France in Manchester last year as Dan Evans and Neal Skupski saved four match points before winning the deciding tie. GB were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Serbia.
US inflation edges up as Fed debates interest rate cuts // The inflation rate in the US picked up in February, as prices for petrol and housing pushed higher. The annual rate, which measures the pace of price increases, was 3.2% in February, up from 3.1% in January, the Labor Department said. Airfare, car insurance and clothing were among the items driving the increase over the month. Grocery prices, which have jumped in recent years, fuelling public discontent, were unchanged.
More than a fifth of UK adults not looking for work // More than a fifth of working-age adults in the UK are deemed not to be actively looking for work, figures suggest. The UK's economic inactivity rate was 21.8% between November and January, marginally higher than a year earlier. It means 9.2 million people aged between 16 and 64 in the UK are not in work nor looking for a job. The total figure is more than 700,000 higher than before the coronavirus pandemic. Concerns have been raised over worker shortages affecting the UK economy.
Japan avoids technical recession as economic growth figures revised // Japan has avoided falling into a technical recession after its official economic growth figures were revised. The revised data shows gross domestic product (GDP) was 0.4% higher in the last three months of 2023 compared to a year earlier. Provisional figures released last month indicated the second consecutive quarter of economic contraction. Two quarters in a row of an economy shrinking is typically considered the definition of a technical recession.