2 h. ago China’s crackdown on lavish civil servant perks will ‘harm’ the economy, experts warn

Updated regulations ban the country’s 40 million civil servants from lavish banquets, and restrict them from overseas travel for ‘personal leisure’Adjacent to a municipal government building in Beijing, a normally bustling restaurant is now eerily quiet, at lunchtime most of its seats are empty.The recent crackdown on civil servants frequenting restaurants – part of a government austerity drive intended to crack down on corruption – has likely affected business and caused liquor sales to plummet, admits one waitress who works in the opulent establishment. Continue reading...

Events

14 h. ago Careers event set up for workers hit by Andrew Wright Windows collapse

Advice will be offered to workers caught up in the shock closure.

Events

67 h. ago More than 100 civil servants set to be cut from security vetting and Cobra teams

The proposed cuts are part of wider plans to reduce the Civil Service headcount.

Events

3 d. ago Thousands march against plan to build massive bridge linking Sicily to Italy's mainland

Thousands of people have marched in Messina, Sicily, to protest a government plan to build a bridge connecting the Italian mainland with Sicily

Politics

3 d. ago Wife's heartbreak as husband dies four days after taking part in cancer drug trial

Lauren Williams, 74, is trying to raise awareness about the dangers of experimental trials after her husband Malcolm, a retired civil servant from Sheffield, died as a result of drug complications

Events

3 d. ago How you can land a £25,000 payout from the NHS if your dentist misses tooth decay or botches surgery. Our must

Civil servant Saira Malik had been attending the same NHS dental practice for nearly a decade and believed her teeth were in safe hands - until a catastrophic mistake almost ended her life.

Economics

5 d. ago From 'queer theory' to 'guilt of being British' seminars, this is what really goes on inside the heart of government

Civil servants at HMRC this week were invited to a seminar during office hours on the 'Guilt of being British'. Those who'd actually bothered turning up at the office, that is.

Politics

6 d. ago Italian government gives final approval for bridge linking Sicily to mainland

€13.5bn allocated for 10-year project to build longest single-span bridge in the world across the Strait of MessinaThe Italian government has given the final approval for the construction of a multi-billion-euro bridge linking Sicily to the mainland, a project that has been a topic of debate since at least the late 1960s but has been held back by a litany of concerns, including the huge cost, seismic risks and mafia infiltration.Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing government has set aside €13.5bn to build what will be the longest single-span bridge in the world. A dream of Italy’s late former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and revived soon after Meloni’s government came to power in 2022, the 3.7km bridge and its surrounding facilities are expected to take 10 years to build. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Number of UK civil servants in same pay band as PM doubles in 2 years

Inflation-linked wage rises and expert hires have led to more government employees on top salaries

Politics

7 d. ago Texas families offered just $3,000 by the government in exchange for building Trump’s wall on their land

In some cases, Trump’s border wall will separate landowners from their growing fields and fishing streams

Politics

8 d. ago Former DOJ Trump ‘loyalty test’ prosecutors are planning to run for office and fight back

The department has forced out scores of civil servants in a purge of attorneys who worked on cases that displeased conservatives

Politics

1 week ago Civil servants attending hundreds of 'woke' events each month during working hours

The meetings include 'listening circles for trans colleagues and allies', music sessions called 'sapphic sounds' and two-hour-long diversity and inclusion sessions.

Politics

3 w. ago Three women charged under Terrorism Act after protest at Edinburgh defence factory

Officers are appealing for information to trace the movements of a blue Ford Transit van prior to the incident

Events

3 w. ago Kristi Noem says other unnamed states are in the process of building Alligator Alcatraz

At least five Republican governors are reportedly considering building large-scale immigration detention centers modeled after Florida’s

Politics

3 w. ago Man's life 'ended' after one tick bite as he's forced to pay £150,000 for private care

Steven Williams was living a "normal" active lifestyle, exercising regularly, working as a civil servant and playing in a rock band - but one week in March 2021, he felt a sudden change

Economics

3 w. ago He was a 'normal, active guy' until one week changed everything

Steven Williams, 39, was a "normal, active guy" working as a civil servant and playing in a rock band - but one week in March 2021 everything changed

Politics

3 w. ago Major update on Mumbles sports and community hub in Swansea after shock closure

There is good news for the clubs and teams which use it

Events

4 w. ago Civil servants protest outside Scottish Government building after 'shock' closure of on

The planned closure has left ten nursery staff facing redundancy and parents without childcare

Events

4 w. ago Loch Lomond high ropes course reopens under new ownership after sudden closure

Owners Ian and Rhonda Fraser have taken over the high ropes course at Lomond Shores - which was known as TreeZone before its shock closure last year.

Politics

4 w. ago Heatwaves have caused 10,000 excess deaths in England in past four years, says Miliband – UK politics live

Energy secretary addresses MPs, telling them the UK is getting hotter and wetter with three times the number of days above 30 degreesAs Rowena Mason revealed recently, No 10 has issued guidance that in effect bans civil servants from any level of speaking at events where journalists are present.Today the Times has published a letter signed by almost 30 experts – including former senior officials, thinktank leaders, academics and union leader – saying this policy is a mistake because it is having “a chilling effect on public discussion” and that it should be withdrawn. They say:The government’s new guidance that prevents public officials from participating properly in public or stakeholder events is a mistake. Effective government relies on public servants, whose salaries are paid by the taxpayer, hearing directly from businesses, charities, academics and citizens to help them make better policy. They should be able to explain government activity to those same groups. Continue readin...

Politics