Author: LoveWorld UK

Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of being ‘in a muddle’ over Scottish independence after backtracking on a pledge to turn the next general election into a de facto referendum. Last year, the First Minister vowed to treat the next UK election as an independence vote if the Supreme Court ruled – which it did – that she couldn’t call a poll without Westminster’s consent. But yesterday the SNP said it will give members two options at a conference in March. Either, Ms Sturgeon can use a good result at the next general election – which must be held by January 2025 – to pressure No…

The black box and cockpit voice recorder from the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed in Nepal have been located, as the country observed a day of mourning on Monday for the victims of its deadliest aviation disaster in three decades. Teknath Sitaula, a Kathmandu Airport official, said the so-called black boxes were “in a good condition now. They look good from outside.” The development came after 68 people were confirmed to have been killed in the plane crash and police said they did not expect to find any more survivors. The Yeti Airlines ATR 72 plummeted into a steep gorge, smashed into pieces and…

The target on Arsenal’s back has got bigger and bigger, as Antonio Conte had noted on Friday, but hardly anyone has been able to hit it over the first half of the Premier League season. Certainly not Conte’s Tottenham, who suffered another stinging derby-day reverse. The 3-1 loss at the Emirates Stadium last October was bad or maybe it was just explicable, more expected. This one was worse, mainly because of the first half, when Arsenal called the tune so completely and put the game to bed with two goals – the first on a calamitous Hugo Lloris handling error; the second a sweet…

A state Supreme Court judge in Syracuse, New York, struck down a statewide mandate for medical staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, ruling that Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state’s health department overstepped their authority. In a landmark ruling issued on Jan. 13, state Supreme Court Judge Gerard Neri declared the statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical staff “null, void, and of no effect.” Hochul and the state Department of Health exceeded their authority by sidestepping the state legislature in imposing a permanent COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical professionals, the judge wrote in the order (pdf). Neri also found that the mandate was…

Rishi Sunak has refused to back calls to boost the health service budget in an attempt to alleviate staffing pressures that have already led to strikes by nurses and ambulance workers, and could soon prompt junior doctors to strike as well. Asked on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland whether there was scope for a one-off increase in health spending, the prime minister added: “There is record funding already going into the NHS … in spite of the difficult decisions we have had to make to get a grip of borrowing and tackle inflation.” His comments on Friday reflect the Treasury’s refusal to provide…

Moderna’s expected 400% hike for its COVID vaccine sparked outrage on Capitol Hill. The pharmaceutical giant could raise the price of the vaccine from its current $26 per dose to between $110 and $130 per shot, according to The Wall Street Journal. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) blasted Moderna, noting that the company is getting rich off of a vaccine that was developed with financial aid from taxpayers. “This vaccine was discovered in partnership with the NIH, with a government agency supported by the taxpayers of this country,” Sanders told CNN on Wednesday. “In addition, the government put $1.9 billion into research and development…

Graham Potter appealed for patience after João Félix marred a promising debut with a rash red card and Chelsea’s slump continued during their 2-1 defeat at Fulham on Thursday night. Emotions ran high after Carlos Vinícius’s late winner lifted Fulham into sixth place and deepened the gloom at Chelsea, whose travelling fans did not hide their frustration after watching their side fall to a third successive defeat in all competitions. There were angry scenes in the away end at Craven Cottage when Potter’s players went down the tunnel without acknowledging them after full time. Chelsea, who are languishing in 10th place, had not…

The wife of a Woodbury County, Iowa, supervisor was arrested on Jan. 12 and charged with more than 50 counts of voter fraud, the Department of Justice announced. Kim Phuong Taylor, 49, of Sioux City, is married to Jeremy Taylor, who unsuccessfully ran in the Republican primary for Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District to replace Rep. Steve King in 2020. She appeared in court on Thursday where she was charged with 26 counts of providing false information in registering and voting, three counts of fraudulent registration, and 23 counts of fraudulent voting, according to the DOJ’s press release. If found guilty, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for…

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel on Jan. 12 to investigate whether any person or group broke the law in the handling of classified materials found in an office President Joe Biden had used, as well as in one of Biden’s homes. “This appointment underscores for the public the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters and to making decisions indisputably guided only by facts and the law,” Garland, a Biden appointee, said in a prepared statement from the Department of Justice (DOJ) headquarters in Washington. Garland appointed Robert Hur, a former federal prosecutor, as special counsel. The attorney…

Joe Biden was facing fresh scrutiny over his handling of government secrets on Wednesday after a second batch of classified materials was reportedly found at a location linked to him. The White House was already on the defensive after revelations that classified documents were discovered last November in an office used by Biden after he served as US vice-president. On Tuesday he said he was “surprised to learn” of their existence. Then came a report from the NBC News network, followed by other media outlets, that said the president’s aides had found another set of classified documents at a separate location. The…