French railway worker Franck Viger-Brunet says he and his comrades have to count carefully the costs of going on strike to force President Emmanuel Macron to back down on plans to hike the retirement age by two years to 64.

Half a million workers went on strike in Britain on Wednesday, calling for higher wages in the largest such walkout in over a decade, closing schools and severely disrupting transport.

This risk of criminals taking advantage of the relaxed regulation in freeports has been highlighted by several studies.

The National Education Union declared seven days of walkouts in February and March after nine out of 10 union teacher members voted for strike action.

Since at least the early 1980s, household debt-to-income ratios have been increasing dramatically.

Whatever new year fillip the euro zone economy got from ebbing natural gas prices, the UK saw none of it - showing just how peculiarly British the downturn there has become and heaping pressure on the Bank of England.

The Bank of England must decide next week how much higher it will raise borrowing costs as it tries to bear down on Britain's double-digit inflation rate without adding too much stress to an economy already close to recession.

New Zealand's ruling Labour Party is looking for a new leader after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation on Thursday.

The main nursing union accuses the government of failing to negotiate seriously on improving their pay deal for the current year.

This week nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to resume strike action on Wednesday and Thursday.

Britain's economy unexpectedly grew in November as consumers splurged during the World Cup, official data showed Friday, but analysts warned that it remains on course for recession due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Steps taken by the government so far to try to generate growth have been questionable.

As with previous rail reforms, progress could be made quickly in shadow mode (before legislation is passed) if the government is clear about the direction of travel.

Britain's government stood accused Wednesday of actively undermining talks with union leaders in a bid to encourage strike action and depress workers' wages across the economy.

The UK government will on Tuesday introduce proposals mandating "minimum safety levels" during strikes, angering unions which have branded it "undemocratic" and threatened legal challenges.

The union has organised unprecedented walkouts by nurses in recent weeks -- the first in its 106-year history.

Businesses in the UK are reinventing the way they run their organizations as industry dynamics change due to unprecedented inflation in the UK.

The U.S. dollar on Monday neared its lowest point in seven months against other major currencies after data suggested the Federal Reserve could slow the pace of its rate hikes, while China reopening its borders boosted riskier currencies.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday he was willing to discuss pay rises for nurses ahead of a meeting with public sector trade union leaders in an effort to end the biggest wave of industrial disputes in decades.

The UK government on Thursday abandoned plans to privatise the public-service broadcaster Channel 4 after standing accused of waging a political vendetta against the edgy television network.

The king also commended charities for their "extraordinary work in the most difficult circumstances".

The global financial crisis has cost Britain up to £7.4 trillion in lost output alone.

Half the services to Spain have been slashed, and a third of those to Italy.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay, writing in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, accused the unions of making a "conscious decision" to "inflict harm" on patients.

The workforce is in crisis, with system-wide pressures seriously hampering their ability to do their jobs.

Strike action scheduled to begin on December 29 remains in place pending the outcome of the ballot of members.

UK nurses stage unprecedented walkout

CGI opens a new office in Newcastle as the multinational IT company aims to foster networking in the North East region through its expansion.

Government estimates show that funding will be needed for training and communications on top of all the basic costs associated with the new rules.

Britain's jobless rate rose for a second month and there were other signs in data on Tuesday that some of the inflationary heat in the labour market is cooling as the economy stumbles, including an increase in older people looking for work.