The cloth screen to be used for the most sacred part of the religious ceremony at the Coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6 will have strong Commonwealth symbolism with each of the member-country names, including India, sewn into the fabric, Buckingham Palace has revealed. The "anointing screen" was unveiled this weekend to show a central design of a tree with branches filled with 56 leaves representing the Commonwealth nations, which the palace said is reflective of the 74-year-old monarch's "deep affection" for the organisation. The anointing, historically regarded as a moment between the Sovereign and God with a screen or canopy in place given its sanctity, takes place before the crowning of a British monarch. Each and every element of the design has been specifically chosen to symbolise aspects of this historic Coronation and the Commonwealth, from the birds that symbolise the joy and interaction among members of a community living in harmony, to
It is for the first time that peers from different faiths - Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish will be part of the procession during the coronation ceremony
A four-day strike planned by tens of thousands of doctors in England next week could lead to the postponement of a quarter-million medical appointments, a National Health Service official said Saturday. Dr. Layla McCay, policy director at the NHS Confederation, said the impact is expected to be far greater than a three-day walkout last month by doctors early in their career that led to 175,000 appointments and procedures being postponed. The impact is going to be so significant that this one is likely to have impact on patient safety, and that is a huge concern for every health care leader, McCay told BBC Radio 4. The strike planned for Tuesday by so-called junior doctors would be the latest in a wave of disruptive labour actions by public sector workers demanding pay hikes to offset inflation that exceeds 10%. A cost-of-living crisis driven by sharp food and energy price increases has left people struggling to pay bills as union wages have fallen in real terms over the past ...
The PHC said the leak had come from the Wytch Farm facility, operated by hydrocarbons' producer Perenco
Tens of thousands of junior doctors went on strike across England on Monday to demand better pay, kicking off three days of widespread disruption at the UK's state-funded hospitals and health clinics. Junior doctors make up 45 per cent of all NHS doctors. Senior doctors and other medics have had to be drafted in to cover for emergency services, critical care and maternity services. The British Medical Association, the doctors' trade union, says pay for junior doctors has fallen 26 per cent in real terms since 2008, while workload and patient waiting lists are at record highs. The union says burnout and the UK's cost-of-living crisis are driving doctors away from the public health service. The union said newly qualified medics earn just 14.09 pounds (USD 17) an hour. Other health workers, including nurses and paramedics, have also staged strikes in recent months to demand better pay and conditions. NHS figures show that more than 100,000 appointments have already been postponed thi
Jeff Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock n' roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player's guitar player, has died. He was 78. Beck died Tuesday after "suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis," his representatives said in a statement released Wednesday. The location was not immediately known. "Jeff was such a nice person and an outstanding iconic, genius guitar player there will never be another Jeff Beck," Tony Iommi, guitarist for Black Sabbath wrote on Twitter. Kiss' Paul Stanley called Beck one of the all-time guitar masters: "Play on now and forever," he tweeted, while Stanley's bandmate Gene Simmons added: "No one played guitar like Jeff Back." Beck first came to prominence as a member of the Yardbirds and then went out on his own in a solo career that incorporated hard rock, jazz, funky blues and even opera. He was known for his improvising, love of harmonics and the whammy bar on hi
David Duckham, the England rugby great who also starred for the British and Irish Lions, especially in the triumphant 1971 series in New Zealand, has died. He was 76. Duckham's death was announced by his former club Coventry as well as the Lions on Tuesday. David Duckham was not only one of the greatest and most talented of English players," said Nigel Gillingham, president of England's Rugby Football Union, but also a player so greatly admired around the world. Duckham won 36 caps for England from 1969-76, initially as a center before going on to make his mark as a dynamic winger who brought flair to an otherwise conservative team. He retired as the country's second all-time highest tryscorer, behind Cyril Low, with 10. The Lions tour of New Zealand provided a better platform for Duckham to demonstrate his brilliance, playing in three of the four matches in the test series. In a midweek game against West Coast/Buller, he scored six tries and he finished the tour with 11 tries in
Messi established himself as the greatest of all time by winning the World Cup but Ronaldo had to part ways on a sour note with Manchester United
A Christmas Eve shooting at a pub in northwest England killed a young woman and wounded three men, police said on Sunday. The Merseyside Police force said it was investigating the 11:50 pm on Saturday shooting at the Lighthouse pub in the town of Wallasey as a murder case. Police have not detained any suspects. This investigation is in the very early stages, and we understand that this is a truly shocking and devastating incident that has happened just before Christmas Day in a busy venue full of young people," Detective Superintendent David McCaughrean said. The woman died at a hospital with an injury consistent with a gunshot wound, the police force said in a statement. Along with the three men wounded, several people were injured, according to the statement. Investigators were seeking witnesses as well as cellphone video and closed circuit television footage to figure out what happened, McCaughrean said. We believe that the gunman left the pub car park in a dark colored vehicle
The notes are expected to enter circulation in mid-2024
Fifa World Cup final: Here's a look at some of the iconic finals of the football World Cup in the history of the game
Fifa World Cup, England vs France Quarterfinal Highlights: Harry Kane, the joint-highest goal scorer for England missed a penalty in the 83rd minute. It was game-changing as France eventually won 2-1
Fifa World Cup, England vs Senegal Round of 16 Highlights: It was smooth sailing for Gareth Southgate's England as Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored to give them 3-0 win over Senegal
'An Indian living in London; but an Indian born and brought up in India: not a second generation Asian but a first generation immigrant - who's totally Indian but feels at home in both countries'
Fifa World Cup Qatar, Group B Highlights: The USA held on to their1-0 lead against Iran that came courtesy of Christian Pulisic in the 38th minute while Rashford's brace sailed England past Wales 3-0
A private equity firm has made a 400 million pound sterling bid for a 75 percent stake in English cricket's unique product The Hundred, according to media reports in England this weekend
Loud jeers rang around the stadium. England's fans were not happy. The United States had frustrated them yet again at a World Cup. That's three times and counting that the teams have met on soccer's biggest stage and England is still waiting for its first win against the Americans after a 0-0 draw on Saturday. Coach Gareth Southgate had reminded his players of that record beforehand, with the US famously winning 1-0 in 1950 and playing out a 1-1 draw in 2010. They didn't seem to heed his warning and didn't respond to Gregg Berhalter's young and energetic team. England beat Iran 6-2 in its opening game in Qatar to justify its status as one of the tournament favourites. But it could consider itself fortunate not to have dropped another match to the US, after Christian Pulisic hit the crossbar with a first-half strike and Weston McKinnie lifted a shot over from eight yards out. The England fans had turned up at the Al Bayt Stadium in anticipation of celebrating a win and qualification
Fifa World Cup Qatar Day 6 Highlights: Iran and Senegal won impressively against Wales and Qatar respectively while US and Ecuador forced draws from their fencied opponents England and the Netherlands
England scored six goals in its opening World Cup game against Iran, but it was the two it conceded that concern coach Gareth Southgate and provide hope for the United States. By the end we looked sloppy, said Southgate of the 6-2 win over Iran on Monday. He also warned the U.S. would be coming full-throttle in Friday's Group B match. The tournament has already produced some shocking results, including Saudi Arabia's win against Argentina and Japan's upset over Germany. A win for the U.S. over England would not be on the scale of Saudi Arabia's win - but Gregg Berhalter's team is undoubtedly the underdog against one of the tournament favorites. The two goals conceded against Iran gave Southgate something to focus on in an otherwise encouraging performance. His message to the players has been clear: They will need to be better against the U.S. team that tied 1-1 with Wales in its opening group game. They're a top nation with a lot of top players who have played in the Premier Leag
Day 2 of the FIFA World Cup managed to create plenty of talking points and, as some had predicted before the tournament, a lot of these were off the field as wel