Blog entry by Lolita Macredie
Councils across the UK are having to redistribute staff between essential services to keep everything running, and the public sector has been asked to prepare for 10th grade geometry problems a worst-case scenario of up to a quarter of staff off work.
Oct 18 (Reuters) - British Gymnastics has launched a new action plan, including the reporting of banned coaches, to provide a safe environment for its athletes following a damning report that uncovered a culture of abuse in the sport, the governing body said on Tuesday.
Carrick, 48, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 30 years in February after carrying out a string of 'violent and brutal' sex attacks against at least a dozen women over more than two decades as a police officer.
"We welcome today's report and acknowledge that though there is no quick fix to the challenges facing the sport of gymnastics ... these are important first steps on a long-term journey of change," Sport England CEO Tim Hollingsworth and UK Sport CEO Sally Munday said in a statement.
"Through Reform '25, we must seize this opportunity and make the care of everyone involved in gymnastics as important as our focus on developing participation and performance," said British Gymnastics Chief Executive Sarah Powell.
The Whyte report, which examined over 400 complaints, found that British gymnastics suffered from a cultural problem where young athletes were shamed for their weight while others were handed harsh punishments for the slightest mistakes in training.
Rapist Met police officer David Carrick is being investigated over an alleged sex attack when he was 13 and another five women have come forward since he was jailed - as his mother says she has no plans to visit him in prison.
** "The investment lens through which global investors evaluate opportunities in China has changed and the strategies deployed towards investing in the Middle Kingdom need to adapt accordingly," wrote Norman Vilamin, CIO of Wealth Management at Union Bancaire Privee.
Sept 16 (Reuters) - Hong Kong stocks fell for the fourth straight day to a 10-month closing low, as shares of embattled Chinese developer China Evergrande Group tumbled to their lowest in a decade, sparking contagion fears.
The Whyte Review, published in June, showed that British gymnasts were subjected to widespread physical and mental abuse in a system where such behaviour was condoned in the pursuit of national and international success.
Children all over the country are returning to school today and risk being turned away at the gates if they or their teachers test positive for the virus as commuters returned for the first time since Christmas.
They can stagger starting days but all pupils should be back by Monday next week. Masks have been reintroduced in secondary school classrooms, while all secondaries have been asked to provide on-site testing for students ahead of their return.
Chelmsford City Council confirmed 23 members of staff were absent and cancelled three days' worth of food waste collections, while North Somerset Council said they had been unable to pick up 1,000 recycling bins on New Year's Eve as crews remain 'stretched due to staff sickness'.
Gloucester meanwhile has been hit with 'terrible problems' as bin collectors work in close-knit teams and quickly pass the virus onto one another, multiplying the number of staff off sick at one time, Liberal Democrat councillor Declan Wilson said.
Caroline Derbyshire, head of Saffron Walden County High School in Essex, said: 'Staff shortages will be a factor and there will be schools in particular parts of the country where rates have been extremely high.
Heads fear up to a quarter of their staff could be struck down in January and have been told to merge classes where necessary but teaching unions insist a return to online teaching at home will be inevitable for some this term despite Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi insisting face-to-face teaching will be the norm.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils across England, said crews have been badly impacted by the spread of the Omicron variant and called for workers be prioritised for Covid tests.