22:02
Employees in the UK will have the right to request flexible working from the moment they start a job, with companies obliged to explain their reasons if it is then refused, the government will propose in a consultation document this week.
The plan would also oblige employers to respond to such requests more quickly, and is being billed as a major reshaping of the way people work in a post-pandemic world, making flexible work the default.
20:46
The two Australian jurisdictions grappling with the most severe Covid outbreaks, New South Wales and Victoria, have revealed their plans for reopening, providing those living with lockdown with some sense of what the future may hold.
Both states will ease some restrictions once 70% of the eligible population age 16 and above are fully vaccinated, with further easing at 80%. But when will those targets be reached, and how and why do the plans differ?
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20:10
A couple in Texas, US were denied service at a restaurant because they were wearing masks.
Natalie Wester spoke to CBS DFW, a local TV station, about her experience with her husband, Jose, and a few friends.
Last week, she said, the Westers went to Hang Time, a bar and restaurant in Rowlett, 20 miles outside Dallas, for a rare outing.
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19:17
Canadians take to the polls in tight pandemic election
Canadians are voting today in a tight pandemic election that threatens to knock Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from power.
Trudeau gambled on an early election in a bid to win a majority of seats in parliament. But the opposition has been relentless in accusing Trudeau of calling an unnecessary early vote during the pandemic – two years before the deadline – for his own personal ambition, AP reports.
Polls indicate Trudeau’s Liberal Party is in a tight race with the rival Conservatives: it will likely win the most seats in parliament, but still fail to get a majority, forcing it to rely on an opposition party to pass legislation.
Trudeau is betting that Canadians will reward him for navigating the coronavirus crisis better than most countries did. Canada is now one of the most vaccinated nations in the world and Trudeau’s government spent hundreds of billions of dollars to prop up the economy amid lockdowns.
Trudeau argues that the Conservatives’ approach, which has been more skeptical of lockdowns and vaccine mandates, would be dangerous and says Canadians need a government that follows science.
O’Toole hasn’t required his party’s candidates to be vaccinated and won’t say how many are unvaccinated. O’Toole describes vaccination as a personal health decision, but a growing number of vaccinated Canadians are becoming increasingly upset with those who refuse to get vaccinated.
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