The experts cited UN reports saying women and girls in Gaza were victims of enforced disappearances
The number of people in the UK not working because of long-term sickness has risen to a record high partly because of ongoing health problems related to the coronavirus pandemic, official figures showed on Tuesday.
The Office for National Statistics found that 2.55 million people were not able to work in the three months to March, which is over 6 per cent of the country's working population. That was up nearly 100,000 on the previous quarter.
The agency said the pandemic is likely to be one of the main causes for the increase in the number of long-term sick over the past three years or so, including those suffering from long Covid symptoms such as post-viral fatigue. Many young people have also been unable to work because of mental health issues while those suffering from head and neck problems has potentially grown because of the increase in home-working since the coronavirus pandemic. There's also a backlog of care following the pandemic that will take time to clear.
“This is now comfortably the largest number of people out of the labour market due to long-term health problems that we have ever seen,” said Tony Wilson, director of the Institute for Employment Studies.
The monthly labour market figures from the Office for National Statistics, found that unemployment in Britain rose modestly to 3.9% in March from 3.8% the previous month, while vacancies fell to their lowest level for 18 months amid the economic uncertainty of high inflation and rising interest rates.
The Bank of England last week raised its benchmark rate for the 12th time in a row to 4.5 per cent, its highest level since 2008. Many economists are cautioning the bank to pause so it doesn't inadvertently push the British economy into recession.
“How this affects unemployment and pay growth levels in the months ahead will be weighing on policymakers minds,” said Hannah Slaughter, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation.
The figures also showed living standards continue to be squeezed as wages are still failing to keep pace with rising prices. Once the current inflation rate around 10 per cent is is taken into account, real pay excluding bonuses was down 3.1 per cent.
The experts cited UN reports saying women and girls in Gaza were victims of enforced disappearances
The Israeli military did not offer an immediate comment, but earlier on Sunday it ordered residents of Al-Shuka and Al-Salam to move to a humanitarian area
The Australian airline is accused of illegally selling thousands of tickets for flights that had already been cancelled
The flight, if it succeeds, will become the second private firm to provide crew transport to and from the International Space Station
The rupee was at 83.4425 against the US dollar as of 08:20 am UAE time, barely changing from its previous session
Shortly after the attack, an Israeli airstrike hit a house in Rafah killing three people and wounding several
The rains have also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam
Around 33 million students will return to schools, which will hold classes on Saturdays until further notice