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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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Trump outlines next phase of US war in national address and more top headlines

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. Good morning and welcome to Fox News’ morning newsletter, Fox News First. And here’s what you need to know to start your day …. TOP 3. 1. Trump says Iran ‘no longer a threat’ after 32 days — outlines next phase of war. 2. Artemis II crew makes history with deep space moon launch. 3. GOP leaders endorse Trump’s shutdown-proof move to end DHS funding lapse. MAJOR HEADLINES. ‘DEFINING MOMENT’ — Trump says Iran ‘no longer a threat,’ US will keep hitting country ‘very hard’ in next phase.Continue reading …. TRACK ATTACK — Man with prior arrest caught trying to shove stranger into train tracks — twice in terrifying video.Continue reading …. STATION SCANDAL — Multiple community-honored firefighters charged in child sex abuse case targeting same juvenile victim. Continue reading …. CURVEBALL — College softball player speaks out on her taxes going toward Minnesota trans lawsuit.Continue reading …. ‘TERRIBLE’ — Trump points to Obama’s Iran deal exit as key achievement in war against them. Continue reading …. –. POLITICS. CAPITOL CRISIS — DHS shutdown breaks record as GOP turn on each other, Dems lose out on reforms.Continue reading …. PUMP PAIN POINTS — State-by-state view of gas prices as Iran war pushes oil markets higher. Continue reading …. FLASHBACK — Dem Sen candidate was critical vote in confirming judge who tied voter ID to ‘white supremacy.’Continue reading …. EMERGENCY EASE — Trump administration steps in with rare tax relief for DHS workers as shutdown drags on. Continue reading …. Click here for more cartoons…. MEDIA. POLITICAL PROPHECY — Carville gloats that Democrats will go after Trump’s ‘stupid jack— kids and their spouses.’ Continue reading …. BUYER’S REMORSE — Stephen A Smith regrets voting for Kamala Harris, says he lost faith in Democrats.Continue reading …. CONSPIRACY THEORY — Charlamagne baffled by ICE agents at airports being efficient and nice ‘like Chick-fil-A workers’.Continue reading …. ‘HELPING PEOPLE’ — Reporter kidnapped in Baghdad known for pursuing gutsy, low-budget assignments while living ‘frugal existence’.Continue reading …. OPINION. MIKE HARIDOPOLOS — Giant leap for mankind: America’s space edge is at stake as Artemis II heads to the moon. Continue reading …. HUGH HEWITT — Morning Glory: President Trump’s big speech on Iran — what will it do? Continue reading …. –. IN OTHER NEWS. TREASURE HUNT — Coin used as bus fare turns out to be 2,000-year-old relic, its journey still a mystery. Continue reading …. SMOKE SIGNALS — Marijuana dependency linked to lung cancer in alarming new study findings. Continue reading …. AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ — Test yourself on steakhouse standards and March Madness. Take the quiz here …. DIAMOND DISASTER — MLB umpire takes 100 mph fastball to the face day after botched call goes viral. Continue reading …. ON A SWING AND A PRAYER  

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Hawaii doctor says wife’s alleged affair sparked violent Maui hike clash — claims she attacked first

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. The Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife took the stand Wednesday, claiming she attacked him first in a violent struggle on a Maui hiking trail.. Gerhardt Konig is on trial for attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill his wife on March 24, 2025. On Wednesday he testified that on the day of the alleged attack, the couple had been hiking, something he said they often did together — as jurors were shown photos from the trip.. He told the court he chose the trail because it “seemed fun” after researching new hikes.. Konig said that after an argument about an alleged affair, he walked away, then returned to find his wife, Arielle, still on the trail, her demeanor suddenly changed.. HAWAII DOCTOR’S EX-BOSS SAYS ANESTHESIOLOGISTS HAVE MEANS TO KILL AS WIFE TESTIFIES ABOUT SYRINGE ATTACK. He told jurors she was apologetic, said she didn’t want to ruin the day, and suggested they work through their issues in therapy. The two even took a selfie.. Moments later, Konig said, everything shifted.. He testified he was standing on a ledge, trying to process what had just happened, when he felt what he described as a shove.. “When I turned around, I said, ‘What the f— was that?’” he told the court.. Konig said he walked toward his wife, asking why she was screaming, and claimed she grabbed his wrists and pulled him to the ground.. He testified that during the struggle, she grabbed him by the genitals, adding that everything that followed happened “very quickly.”. HAWAII DOCTOR’S EX-BOSS SAYS ANESTHESIOLOGISTS HAVE MEANS TO KILL AS WIFE TESTIFIES ABOUT SYRINGE ATTACK. Konig said she then struck him on the side of the face with a rock.. Jurors were shown a photo of Konig with visible marks on his face.. He testified he was able to wrestle the rock away and admitted he struck Arielle twice while she was still holding onto his genitals, saying he did so on instinct to protect himself.. Konig testified that he did not mean to hurt her and said he felt bad, becoming visibly emotional.. “I felt horrified about what I did to her, that I resorted to violence against my wife, the person I love the most,” he told jurors. “I felt hopeless in our marriage too.”. Konig said he believed his marriage and career were over and testified that he heard his wife screaming that he had tried to kill her.. He told jurors he became suicidal after the incident, saying he felt “hopeless.”. DOCTOR’S BLOODIED WIFE SEEN IN BODYCAM AFTER SCREAMING FOR HELP FROM HUSBAND’S ALLEGED ATTACK. Konig testified that he decided to jump and called his son, Emil, to say goodbye. Konig testified that he was not in a good state of mind when he called.. “He saved my life that day,” he said through tears.. Konig told jurors he did not try to kill his wife that day — denying he shoved her off a cliff or attempted to kill her with syringes.. Earlier in his testimony, Konig described what he said was a sudden breakdown in what he b  

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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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Trump outlines next phase of US war in national address and more top headlines

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