18 minutes ago NHS Forth Valley facing £30 million overspend despite £5 million saving on agency nurses

Board members heard that nurse agency shifts had been cut from 1000 a month to zero although other costs remain high

Economics

3 hours ago Australia’s mission improbable: crack the genius of Jasprit Bumrah in 10 days | Barney Ronay

India’s supreme fast bowler destroyed the top order in Perth and the hosts have little time to avoid a second Test repeatTest cricket is supposed to be cruel. This is a key aspect of its beauty. This thing hurts. It will seek out your weakest points and then very carefully and skilfully gouge its nails into the wound. But is it meant to be this cruel?There was something tender, painful and even a little disturbing about what Jasprit Bumrah did to Marnus Labuschagne during the first Border-Gavaskar Test in Perth. In the space of 23 Bumrah deliveries Labuschagne was dropped, hit in the ribs, beaten five times, left completely scoreless, and basically de-cricketed, reduced to a series of strange, formless movements, stabbing at the ball like an under-gardener swatting midges in the dark. C...

Events

3 hours ago Border Patrol trains more chaplains as the job and polarizing immigration debate rattle agents

The Border Patrol has been quickly growing its ranks of chaplains to help with mounting distress

Politics

7 hours ago The ceasefire in Lebanon doesn’t ensure a lasting victory for Israel, but does signal a strategic setback for Iran | Bilal Saab

Hezbollah is still armed and has the potential to attack Israel. But more significantly it has in effect abandoned HamasNow that the dust has settled, quite literally, following the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, it is crucial to ask whether this deal will last – because, let’s face it, we’ve been here before.In 2006, Hezbollah and Israel fought viciously for more than a month for reasons not dissimilar to today’s context. By conducting a cross-border raid against Israeli troops, Hezbollah sought to alleviate some pressure on Hamas, which was battling with Israel in Gaza. The operation backfired, triggering a devastating conflict that led to the killing of roughly 1,100 Lebanese and 160 Israelis, and to massive displacement and damage to infrastructure in southern Leb...

Politics

8 hours ago Storm Conall batters Britain: Chaos on rail and roads with South hit by half a month's worth of rain in 14 hours as Environment Agency map shows 255 flood warnings and alerts in place

The Met Office said Storm Conall could bring up to 2in (50mm) of rain across the Isle of Wight, Sussex and Kent with a yellow warning in place for the South East until midday.

Events

11 hours ago Trump’s return raises questions over future of CIA’s Russian recruitment drive

Intelligence agency has been trying to entice Russians disaffected by invasion of Ukraine but president-elect is likely to want to make an ally of KremlinFor the past three years, the CIA has run an unusually bold outreach programme. It targeted Russians within the country’s government and security services, attempting to turn them into double agents.Slickly produced recruitment videos portrayed cooperation with the US secret agency as the patriotic choice for officials disaffected with Vladimir Putin’s regime and the war in Ukraine. The videos ended with instructions on how to contact the CIA in a secure manner. Continue reading...

Politics

14 hours ago Trump’s tariff threats to Mexico already causing storm as he taps Covid skeptic for health agency: Live

President-elect announced on Monday proposed tariffs on some of nation’s biggest trade partners

Events

14 hours ago Trump picks Covid lockdown skeptic as head of key national health agency

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya is a Stanford-educated physician who gained prominence after questioning the efficacy of social distancing at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic

Politics

16 hours ago Scottish income tax policy not working, financial services body claims

Scottish Financial Enterprise said rates should be brought more closely in line with those south of the border.

Economics