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Minimum wage rises to £12.71 an hour as firms warn of impact

 Minimum wage rises to £12.71 an hour as firms warn of impact. 15 hours ago. Emer Moreau,Business reporterand. Oliver Smith,Business producer. Getty Images. Around 2.7 million people are set to receive a pay rise this week as the national minimum wage goes up by 50p to £12.71 for over 21s.. Workers aged 18-20 will see an 85p rise to £10.85, and under-18s and apprentices will get 45p more to £8 an hour.. Young workers welcomed the rise, but some expressed concern about fewer job opportunities, while businesses said higher wage bills will force them to increase prices or cut staff.. The Low Pay Commission, the government agency which recommended the increases, said previous minimum wage rises for over-21s had “not had a significant negative impact on jobs”.. Minimum wage: Who is getting a pay rise and how much is it?. Ifunanya Ezechukwu, 25, said the rise was a “step in the right direction”.. “Especially with the cost of living being really bad, people need more money so they can actually afford the basics,” she told BBC Newsbeat.. She doesn’t think employers paying staff more will necessarily translate to fewer jobs.. “I feel like they’re probably just going to up the prices of their services, so I don’t think there’ll be less job opportunities,” she says.. “I just feel like some things might get more expensive, which is unfortunate, and then the cycle just continues.”. Alex McCarthy, a university student who works part-time in a pub, says he is feeling “very, very happy” about the rise.. But the 18-year-old says it probably won’t be enough for some of his friends, who are working while living at university but are still struggling to do weekly shops and are having to borrow money off their parents.. Amelia Evans, 18, believes the rise is necessary because “everything is going up in price”. But she is concerned it will limit her job opportunities.. “So far this year I think I’ve done maybe 20 applications, and haven’t got any. I feel like it’s going to impact me even more now.”. From water to council tax: How the bill rises (and one drop) affect you. Spencer Bowman is the managing director of of Mettricks, a chain of four coffee shops in Southampton. He says he would normally be “thrilled” to pay staff more, but “the cost increases have got to be sustainable”.. “There’s nothing that I’d want more than to ensure that my team can earn a really fair amount of money for a fair day’s work. And it’s been one of my long-term ambitions to see hospitality workers, my employees, paid far more.”. But Spencer says his business is being squeezed from every angle – as well as minimum wage, he has had increases in business rates, national insurance, and statutory sick pay. He also expects energy bills to go up because of the war in the Middle East.. “We’re running on a minimum number of staff on shift. We can’t run on fewer people,” he says.. “If something doesn’t give somewhere, we will be closing sites.. “It doesn’t make any sense. Revenue is up. Our cust 

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Fort Hood soldiers shift to underground training to prepare for battlefield medical care

​FORT HOOD, TX — This week, the 1st Medical Brigade of the III Armored Corps at Fort Hood conducted Operation Silver Lightning, a training exercise designed to simulate providing advanced medical care in a contested, large-scale combat environment. From March 23 to April 1, the brigade employed the tactical arm of the Army Health System as combat medics, optometrists, doctors, veterinarians, and other medical personnel simulated a mass casualty event under combat conditions in underground tunnels on the Fort Hood installation. Fox News was given an up-close look at how the exercise was implemented.

The exercise reflects evolving assessments of how to adapt medical support in the face of drones and other contemporary threats observed in Ukraine. Col. Kamil Sztalkoper, director of public affairs for the III Armored Corps, explained that medics must disperse and, when possible, hide in plain sight by using multiple locations. He noted that some training facilities—dating back to the 1940s and 1950s and once used to house nuclear assets—are now repurposed for current readiness. The tunnels at Fort Hood have been decommissioned and cleaned out for use as a training facility, in this case an underground field hospital. The tunnels’ several miles of passageways function as a triage emergency room, operating room, veterinary care, optometry, and clinics, enabling troops to practice delivering care while countering the growing drone threat observed elsewhere.

During the exercise, about 300 soldiers and role players portraying wounded troops ran through evacuation and medical drills, with responders rushing the wounded from a helicopter to a military medical vehicle and then into the tunnels. Combat medics trained to treat wounded soldiers or role players, each portraying injuries that mimic battlefield pain and symptoms. Col. Brad Franklin, deputy commander of the 1st Medical Brigade and chief nurse, described the dilemma of limited staff—insufficient surgeons, nurses, and medics—and more patients than available resources, which forces triage decisions and even reverse triage to care for casualties.

A World War II veteran spoke about a special performance observed during the exercise, providing a personal perspective to the training.  

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Local Dem leader says he was not ‘an aggressor’ after arrest for hitting man with bullhorn at ‘No Kings’ rally

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. The chair of the Hernando County, Florida, Democratic Party who was arrested for allegedly hitting a man in the head with a bullhorn during a “No Kings” protest, said that he did not act as an aggressor and did not escalate the confrontation.. Brian Stewart, 63, was charged with simple battery, a misdemeanor in Florida, and booked into the Hernando County Sheriff’s Detention Center after the incident in Spring Hill on Saturday. He was released later that day, records show.. Stewart said he is “not a violent person” and that the man he was accused of hitting — a disabled veteran identified as Thomas Michta in police reports — was harassing others at the demonstration “in an attempt to elicit a reaction.”. “This was a peaceful event attended by many members of the community,” Stewart told Fox News Digital.. FLORIDA COUNTY’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR ACCUSED OF HITTING MAN IN HEAD WITH BULLHORN AT ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST. “Unfortunately, an individual disrupted that environment and was harassing rally attendees in an attempt to elicit a reaction,” he continued. “At no point did I act as an aggressor. I am not a violent person, and I did not seek out or escalate any conflict. I never expected that I’d be accosted or need to defend myself as I did in that moment.”. The incident happened as demonstrators in Hernando County and across the country protested against the Trump administration’s policies.. Deputies responded at around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday to the intersection of Mariner and Cortez boulevards, where Stewart allegedly struck Michta in the head with a bullhorn.. Michta told deputies he was walking through the protest when he and Stewart became involved in an argument. He accused Stewart of striking him during the dispute and reported being in pain, with a visible lump on his head, according to an arrest affidavit, WTSP reported.. According to the affidavit, video footage captured by a witness and reviewed by deputies showed Stewart using a bullhorn to hit the man in the head and push him in the chest.. After reviewing the video, a witness’ statement and Stewart’s own admissions, deputies said they developed probable cause to believe Stewart intentionally hit the man and caused bodily harm, the affidavit says.. Stewart declined to comment further, saying his lawyers advised him not to make additional public statements.. “I have many more thoughts to share, but my lawyers advise that I should defer doing so until after the case has concluded,” Stewart told Fox News Digital. “Out of respect for the legal process and on the advice of counsel, I will not be commenting further on the specifics of the case at this time.”. Stewart is scheduled to appear in court on April 27.. LATE-NIGHT HOST JIMMY KIMMEL SHOWS UP TO ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST WITH KIDS, HOLDS ‘ENOUGH ALREADY’ SIGN. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP. The Florida Democratic Party and the Hernando County chapter said in separate statements earlier  

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Weekly sports quiz: What is the ‘Sunshine Double’?

​ByJoe Rindl. BBC Sport journalist. 50 minutes ago. 4 Comments. So much has happened over the past seven days, including tennis tournaments, managerial appointments and World Cup qualifying drama.. About 15% of quizzers got full marks in last week’s edition. Will you make the grade this week?. After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.. [embedded content]. What information do we collect from this quiz?. Fancy testing your memory? Play last week’s quiz.. Let us know your score and thoughts in the comments below – and be wary, it might contain spoilers!. Play more quizzes. Quiz: Name every team who has played in the Premier League. 2 March. Can you name every FA Cup winner?. 16 February. Can you name every Women’s League Cup finalist?. 22 March. Can you name every player with 100 Premier League goals?. 23 February. Can you name every team to have played in the WSL?. 9 September 2025. Quiz: Can you name every EFL Cup winner?. 22 March. Check out our Sports Quizzes page  

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This is our 100th fight, it will be one of the best – Wilder

​This is our 100th fight, it will be one of the best – Wilder. This is our 100th fight, it will be one of the best – Wilder. American heavyweight Deontay Wilder says his fight against Briton Derek Chisora will be “one of the best in history” – with both men gearing up for their 50th professional bout.. READ MORE: Win or lose, I’d like Chisora to retire – Wardley. Follow live text commentary of Chisora v Wilder from 20:00 BST on Saturday, with BBC Radio 5 Live coverage from 22:00.. Boxing. 1 hour ago. Share page. About sharing  

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Is success crucial? BBC Sport experts pick their player of the season

​ByGary Rose. BBC Sport journalist. 1 hour ago. 109 Comments. Who will win the Premier League player of the season?. That won’t be announced until towards the end of May but we already have a pretty good idea of the contenders, based on players’ performances so far this campaign.. Arsenal are leading the way in the title race and should they win, the likes of defender Gabriel and midfelder Declan Rice will surely be in contention.. But there have been other standout performers this season, including the likes of Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, and perhaps somewhat more unexpected stars like Igor Thiago and Antoine Semenyo will likely be in the mix.. BBC Sport take a closer look at who could be in line for the award before asking its reporters who they would pick.. You also get the chance to vote for your winner below.. Does the award usually go to a Premier League champion?. In short – not always.. It has been that way for the past five seasons, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah the most recent winner and Manchester City players taking the award from 2020-21 to 2023-24.. However, prior to that the split was more even with 11 recipients from non-Premier League winners compared to 10 for players from the champions.. Who are the leading contenders?. Arsenal are in a strong position to win the Premier League this season and Rice has been a key player behind their title charge.. No Gunners player has registered more league assists than his five this season, while he is also ranked top for number of chances and big chances created.. Rice is the favourite to be crowned player of the season but pushing him hard for the award is Manchester United captain Fernandes.. This season only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has contributed to more goals than than the Portuguese midfielder, who has eight goals and 16 assists in 28 games.. Fernandes is on course to break the record for the highest number of assists provided across a single Premier League season.. That tally is 20 – a total which has been reached by two players – Thierry Henry for Arsenal in 2002-03 and Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne in 2019-20.. [embedded content]. Other contenders include Arsenal defender Gabriel, who has been a vital player for the Gunners at the back as well as chipping in with some important goals, including a 90th-minute winner at Newcastle back in September.. Meanwhile, Semenyo starred for Bournemouth before slotting in seamlessly to the Manchester City attack following his move to Pep Guardiola’s side in January, while Igor Thiago has shone up front for Brentford.. Who are BBC reporters player of the year picks?. Image source, AFP via Getty Images. By. Phil McNulty. Chief football writer. Declan Rice.. Arsenal’s Rice wins my vote as player of the year for his consistently high quality and leadership as Mikel Arteta’s side go in search of elusive trophies.. Add his dead-ball expertise and Rice is the full package as a midfielder in the top class.. He has been central  

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