Northern Ireland: holiday pay ruling may have a wider impact
After a recent landmark legal ruling, taxpayers in Northern Ireland may be facing additional expenses to cover holiday pay for public sector workers. The Supreme Court ruled that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) must compensate its officers and civilian employees with approximately £30 million due to inaccuracies in holiday pay calculations. The ruling determined that holiday pay should reflect an employee's normal pay, including overtime and other additional payments beyond basic salary.The case originated from a 2018 industrial tribunal ruling in favour of a group representing over 3,700 PSNI officers and civilian staff, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2019. Similar cases are expected in both the public and private sectors. As a result, there may be an increase in holiday pay claims as businesses are compelled to address past or ongoing miscalculations. Public employers, who may lack substantial cash reserves, could face difficulties meeting these liabilities. The PSNI is currently considering how to cover these costs while ensuring fair compensation for its officers.
Canary Islands: wildfire forces 3,000 to evacuate
Almost 3,000 people have had to evacuate their homes in Tenerife as a wildfire, caused by embers left smouldering from an August blaze, re-ignited on the Spanish island. Unseasonably hot weather (up to 39°C) sparked the flames, which engulfed the north east of the island on 5 October. About 2,400 people have been evacuated from the town of Santa Ursula and another 600 from La Orotava. Teams of firefighters and six water-dropping helicopters worked to battle the fire overnight. The August fire had been brought under control but was never completely extinguished, with embers still burning in the forest. The firefighters have requested support from the army’s military emergency unit. The island’s councillor in charge of emergencies, Blanca Perez, told local radio this fire ‘has been stabilised, we are seeing how it evolves to determine if in a few hours residents can return to their homes’.
Russia: proposal to nuke Siberia strongly criticised
The editor-in-chief of RT, formerly Russia Today, has threatened legal action against critics after a backlash to her comments proposing a nuclear strike on Siberia. ‘Slanderers get ready’, Margarita Simonyan wrote on her Telegram channel, announcing that she had filed a defamation complaint against parliamentary aide Nikolai Korolev and warning of action against others. The often-controversial executive, among the most powerful in Russian media, has drawn criticism over a bizarre video monologue in which she appeared to propose a nuclear detonation in Russia as a deterrent against the West. The video triggered an avalanche of criticism from pundits and politicians. Mr Korolev said, ‘Such statements are a violation of the legislation of the Russian Federation, not to mention the wildness and absurdity’. Other critics noted that the history of Soviet nuclear tests in Siberia has left a legacy of contamination. The Kremlin moved to distance itself from Ms Simonyan, who has a close relationship with Vladimir Putin.
Russia: many more soldiers accused of murder
Independent news outlet Vyorstka has reported a huge uptick in the number of Russian soldiers facing trial for murders committed outside the conflict zone in Ukraine. At least 147 soldiers went on trial for murder between January and September, compared to the 15 murder cases heard against soldiers in military courts in all of 2022. Court verdicts from this year indicate that most soldiers facing trial committed murders under the influence of alcohol. In one case an intoxicated soldier killed a woman with a Kalashnikov assault rifle after learning that she did not support Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. He was sentenced to nine years in prison in March. It is unclear whether the figures cited by Vyorstka include members of the Wagner mercenary outfit, which recruited prison inmates to fight in Ukraine in exchange for pardons. Among the weapons used in the murders were knives, axes, pistols, and Kalashnikovs.
Australia: historic referendum on aboriginal rights
On 14 October, Australia will vote in a historic referendum that cuts to the core of how it sees itself as a nation. If successful, the proposal - known as the Voice - will recognise aboriginal people in the constitution, while creating a body for them to advise governments on the issues affecting their communities. Advocates say it Is a ‘modest yet profound’ change that will allow Indigenous Australians to take a rightful place in their own country - which has often dragged its heels confronting its past. But those campaigning against it describe it as a ‘radical’ proposal that will ‘permanently divide’ the country by giving First Nations people greater rights than other Australians - a claim legal experts reject. Australia is unusual among settler nations to have never made a treaty with its indigenous peoples. It first voted on whether to acknowledge them in the preamble of the constitution back in 1999. The reform - which was one of two amendments tied to the referendum over whether to become a republic - failed.
Uganda: opposition leader detained?
Uganda’s main opposition party, the NUP, has said its leader Bobi Wine was detained upon returning from a trip abroad. The singer-turned-politician arrived at Entebbe airport on 5 October after visiting several countries, including South Africa. A photo appeared to show two men seizing him by the arms on the tarmac. However, the police said he was ‘successfully escorted by our security team’, and urged people to disregard rumours of his arrest by ‘propagandists’. In September the police announced they were banning rallies being organised by the NUP across the country because of public order issues. There is a long history of authorities using so-called ‘preventative arrest’ to detain opposition leaders, often holding them for several hours before returning them to their homes so as to stymie mass demonstrations. Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is a prominent critic of President Museveni’s government. He ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2021 against Museveni, who is serving a sixth term in power.