The deaths of four people in house fires overnight increased the pressure on Britain's government yesterday to end the first nationwide firefighters' strike in 25 years.
The 48-hour strike, which started at 6pm on Wednesday, has diverted military personnel from preparations for a possible war with Iraq, and comes as Britons are being warned of possible terror attacks in the run-up to Christmas.
Two elderly men and one woman were reported to have died in separate house fires in Newton, Wales; in Burnley in north England and at Halesowen in the West Midlands.
PHOTO: AP
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott told parliament of a fourth fatality but gave no details.
The mood among striking firemen in Stratford-upon-Avon, in central England, was defiant but downbeat yesterday.
"The mood was very somber last night, it was depressing, nobody wants to do it," leading firefighter John Vale said. "They are all in the same position, where they feel they have been pushed into a corner."
It was not immediately clear whether any of the deaths could have been prevented had the firefighters been at work. But in the Halesowen case, soldiers providing emergency cover in archaic "Green Goddess" fire engines took 20 minutes to reach the scene.
Police and ambulance workers were not equipped to enter the building. Local media said there was a fire station nearby.
Prescott said a two-day strike was bad but a planned eight-day stoppage would be a disaster.
"Wouldn't it be better to negotiate? Wouldn't it better to sit down again?" he asked. "Because an eight-day strike can only lead to more deaths, more injuries and more distress."
Officials said the government would consider marching into fire stations and taking their modern appliances if longer strikes went ahead, crossing picket lines in the process.
There was little sign of progress in resolving the dispute.
Fire Brigades Union chief Andy Gilchrist addressed union members at a meeting in Edinburgh. Media were barred from the event but he later told reporters he had informed members he was still waiting for a pay offer from the government.
"What we've always said as a highly democratic organization is if we get a serious and significant offer ... that would be put to the entire membership," Gilchrist told Sky news.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS