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Over 13,000 people have signed a petition in support of one of Greater Manchester's first female bus drivers, who was fired because she was "too short." "You might have heard a pin drop" when Tracey Scholes, 57, came into Manchester's Queen's Road facility as the first and only woman in 1987. Scholes, who stands at 1.52m (5 feet) tall, has lost her job 34 years later because she lacks the "capacity" to operate the new model of bus that runs on her route. Scholes would have to bend back to utilize the assault screen due to a modification in the position of the wing mirrors and the pillar on an assault screen fitted to protect drivers. Scholes claimed the decision has affected her emotionally and that she has "put everything on hold financially" since she is unable to plan for the future. She didn't buy any Christmas presents because she was worried about the end of her notice period in early February, which was approaching in the m

  The head of one of London's biggest hospitals has expressed concern about losing personnel as a result of stricter vaccination requirements. Front-line NHS personnel in England will be required to get the Covid vaccine starting in April, or they will be transferred to another position. Clive Kay, the chief executive of King's College Hospital, said it was his job to encourage employees to be vaccinated, yet 10% of his 14,000 employees were still unvaccinated. Nadhim Zahawi, a government official, justified the program as "the correct thing to do." NHS staff in England who have direct face-to-face contact with patients will be required by law to be vaccinated against Covid beginning in April. A similar approach has already been implemented in England for social care workers, with care facilities claiming that it has exacerbated the staffing shortage. The NHS is already short of 93,000 personnel due to a serious staffing shortage. Mr Kay was speaking after one of his

According to a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M), the Omicron variant is causing the most "concerning" rates in the North East and North West of England. According to Dr. Mike Tildesley of the University of Warwick, cases in London are "slowing down," but experts need two weeks to determine if this trend continues. "Most other sections of the country are around two to three weeks behind London in terms of their pandemic profile," he continued. "The North East and North West are particularly troubling - hospital admissions in those two regions are increasing; likewise, the Midlands, where I live, is a little concerning, so it's a worry." Meanwhile, NHS leaders have been accused of scrutinizing hospitals for declaring critical incidents and delaying surgeries. An email instructing hospitals to use "proper wording" and offer advance warning before disclosing their status, according to sources, was a &q

After Sidney Poitier's death at the age of 94, Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to the "trailblazing" Hollywood great. The Bahamian-American actor was most known for his roles in films such as In The Heat Of The Night, Blackboard Jungle, and Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, and was the first black man to receive an Academy Award for Best Actor. After awarding Poitier the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, former US President Barack Obama released a photo of himself and his wife Michelle standing with him. "Through his trailblazing roles and extraordinary talent, Sidney Poitier epitomised dignity and elegance, showcasing the ability of film to bring us closer together," President Barack Obama wrote. "He also provided opportunities for a new generation of actors." "Michelle and I express our heartfelt condolences to his family and legions of admirers." "For me, the greatest of the 'Great Trees' has fallen: Sidney Po

According to fire officials, a fire that damaged a Planned Parenthood health clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee, last month was deliberately set. When the building burned down on Dec. 31, Planned Parenthood stated it was nearing the finish of a $2.2 million remodeling and expansion project. In a statement, Ashley Coffield, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, stated, "This is an abhorrent and tragic act of violence against Planned Parenthood, our patients, and our community." The health clinic had already been targeted. On the 48th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court judgement, which recognized the constitutional right to an abortion, someone fired a shotgun at its front doors on Jan. 22, 2021. "We are devoted to our patients in East Tennessee and will not let this attack take away the important health care services on which they rely," Coffield added, "even if it will take time to rebuild." The fire department s