2 h. ago Bacon, mungbean and cheese? How soaring egg prices are affecting New York’s most famous sandwich

Delis are turning to plant-based egg substitutes as bird flu and inflation push up the cost of the real thing. But how does the faux BEC compare?Like a yellow taxi or the pizza rat, the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich has become a symbol of New York City. You can find a BEC in just about any bodega, or corner store, where it serves as a cheap, filling breakfast, quick lunch or hangover cure.But with egg prices soaring across the country due to inflation and the worst avian influenza outbreak in history, delis are struggling to keep the price down. It’s been tough since 2022, when the bird flu began, with reports of farmers having to slaughter millions of birds a month. Francisco Marte, a bodega owner in the Bronx and president of the Bodega and Small Business Association, told NY1 that about 50% of delis had to raise prices on BECs to make a profit. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Could vaccinating chickens be the key to cutting soaring egg prices?

Bird flu has decimated flocks and driven egg prices to record highs of nearly $6 a dozen

Politics

9 h. ago Vaccinating poultry could help cut soaring egg prices but US remains hesitant

Vaccines could be a key means of suppressing bird flu and avoiding the slaughter of millions of chickens, which is blamed for egg prices averaging nearly $5 a dozen

Politics

55 h. ago Toilet training and cutlery use key part of England’s ‘school

Checkpoints backed by education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, follow complaints from teachers of children arriving in nappiesToilet training and the ability to use cutlery are two key checkpoints in a new list of “school-readiness” skills developed by a coalition of early-years educators and endorsed by Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary.The group said the guidance was the first of its type, intended to help parents to prepare children starting in reception classes in England from the age of four and came after complaints from teachers of children arriving at school in nappies, lacking basic skills and unable to play with others. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Trump administration briefing: hundreds fired from US climate agency as Americans feel economy getting worse

Democrats warn that cutting jobs at Noaa ‘will cost American lives’ – key US politics stories from Wednesday at a glanceThe Trump administration has fired hundreds of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), the US’s pre-eminent climate research agency housed within the Department of Commerce, the Guardian learned on Thursday.“This will cost American lives,” said Democratic congresswoman and ranking member of the House science, space and technology committee, Zoe Lofgren, in a written statement. Her comments were issued alongside congressman Gabe Amo’s, the ranking member of the subcommittee on environment, after news of the firings broke. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago More than 1,000 British staff cut from key Ukraine troop training programme

Exclusive: As of January, there were just 369 UK staff working on the British-led programme that has trained over 51,000 Ukrainian soldiers to resist Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion

Politics

2 w. ago Trump live updates: President faces criticism over DOGE cuts as key vote on House budget bill looms

Big tech billionaire grants extension to initial deadline as administration’s Office of Personnel tells agencies that answering mailout is ‘voluntary’, sowing confusion

Politics

3 w. ago As egg prices soar, Trump administration plans new strategy to fight bird flu

With egg prices soaring, the Trump administration is planning a new strategy for fighting bird flu that stresses vaccinations and tighter biosecurity instead of killing off millions of chickens when the disease strikes a flock

Politics