threaten

Assam, India – Makon Kumar’s wrinkled fingers are covered in dried-up clay. She squats on the damp dirt outside her one-room, bamboo-stilted home and spins a pottery wheel – a palm-sized grey bowl – with her left toe.

Inside the bowl is a lump of newly-bought wet clay, which Kumar slaps, flattens and curves into the pot’s base.

“My grandma and her grandma passed this practice down to us. We are not farmers, we have no land, and this is our work,” 60-year-old Makon said as she pressed her fist into the clay and carved out the pot’s mouth.

Makon belongs to the Kumar community of about 540 people, whose women have been known for their unique pottery work since the 16th century. These women avoid machinery or a potter’s wheel but rely on their toes to spin a plate or bowl with clay.

The Kumars live on Majuli, an island district between the Subansiri and the mighty Brahmaputra rivers in India’s northeastern state of Assam. Home to nearly 200,000 people, which includes people from other ethnic groups, Majuli has shrunk from 1,300sq km (502sq miles) to 483sq km (186.5sq miles) in a century due to erosion caused by annual monsoon rains and floods.

During the monsoon season, which can stretch from May to September, the floodwaters can get more than 1.5 metres (5 feet) high, forcing Makon and the other Kumars to either seek shelter at the highway bordering the village or stay trapped inside their homes.

Last week, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said there were more than 72,000 people taking shelter in 355 relief camps across the state due to the floods, which have also killed at least 24 people this year.

Access to riverside clay denied

During the floods, the Kumars’ pottery business comes to a halt, interrupting their main source of income. Moreover, the lack of flood prevention efforts by the authorities has worsened their condition.

“[Our family] used to get clay from the banks of the Brahmaputra River,” Makon told Al Jazeera.

Kumar men traditionally dug 18 to 21 metres (60 to 70 feet) deep on the riverbank to extract a glutinous, dark grey clay that locals call Kumar “maati” (soil).

The state-run Brahmaputra Board, which supervises the government’s response to the floods and soil erosion, began building river embankments in 2018, preventing the Kumars from digging the riverbank for clay.

“While the Brahmaputra Board deeply respects this traditional craft [of making pottery], extracting clay directly from the exposed riverbanks causes severe soil erosion, hindering the board’s efforts to protect Majuli island,” a spokesperson for the board told Al Jazeera.

The spokesperson said the board provided an alternative to the Kumar potters by making clay available through designated pits or boreholes that could be accessed after filling an application form. The board, however, did not say how many Kumars applied.

Makon said the embankment on the Brahmaputra forced her to buy clay from mainland Assam, increasing her expenses for a business already lacking commercial value or organised marketing.

November is their best month when floodwaters recede and foreign and Indian tourists take a 90-minute ferry from Jorhat, a city in mainland Assam, to Majuli’s Salmora village, where the Kumar women sculpt pots with their hands and feet. The tour brings extra cash for Makon’s two daughters studying in a secondary school.

On other days, the Kumars sculpt and sell pots of various sizes to local vendors. Tekelis, the most popular and smallest pot used for storing milk, is sold for just 10 rupees ($0.12) to vendors, who resell them for 20 to 100 rupees ($0.23-$1.15) at shops across Majuli and mainland Assam.

Salmora has long, narrow dirt roads, with rows of bamboo and concrete houses built on stilts. When the island is not flooded, hundreds of dried tekelis lie stacked on top of each other on a road bordering the village. The men bake those pots and sell them in the market.

‘No money in it’

However, it is not just a dying form of pottery that is under threat in flood-prone Majuli.

Almost 18km (11 miles) from Salmora lies Upper Katoni village, where the silence of the nights is often interrupted by young men and boys singing and thumping hollow drums. They perform a four-hour theatrical production known as Bhaona, mostly performed past midnight. Locals come for the performance after finishing their dinner, sit on the floor, and watch their neighbours, siblings, or friends perform.

The entirely male troupe of actors play characters from the Hindu epic, Ramayana.

“We’ve been rehearsing for the last three weeks,” said actor Jyoti Bhuyan, who plays a king in the dance drama. “Even in the hotter months, we’re able to perform.”

The Bhaona dates back to the 16th century and is performed at Namghars, open prayer houses unique to Assam. The island has more than 384 Namghars, according to a spokesperson from the Majuli District Office.

“I’ve been doing this since I was a young boy,” said Karunav Bhuyan, a Bhaona actor and political science professor at a college on the island. “What doesn’t change is that anyone from any background can come and watch us perform.”

Bhaona actors wear special masks, made from bamboo and a mix of clay and cow dung. The masks typically have wide, almond-shaped eyes; thick, furrowed brows; and a mouth flaunting a full set of teeth or bright red lips. The mask’s sharp, angular facial features, paired with contrasting eye and hair colours, are often displayed inside the houses of Majuli residents.

“At first, no one wanted to make masks because there was no money in it,” 67-year-old mask maker Hem Chandra Goswami told Al Jazeera.

Goswami, who lives in Majuli’s Samaguri village, started making smaller, easy-to-hang masks and has been teaching the art to high school students since 2012. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2023 for promoting the art form.

Traditionally, only men made masks and used them for Bhaona performances. But that is changing.

Brishti Hazarika, a 25-year-old theatre student, is learning mask-making at Majuli University of Culture, an institution dedicated to preserving the local art forms. “Whether we get financial help from the government or not, it doesn’t stop us from putting on shows or enjoying our festivals,” Hazarika said.

The island’s more well-known tourist attractions are the Satras – the cultural and religious centres where celibate male monks, draped in white cotton cloth, reside.

Known as Bhakats, these monks join the Satras during preadolescence and spend their lives worshipping Lord Krishna, unlike the polytheistic pantheon of numerous gods in mainstream Hinduism.

But annual floods and land erosion have reduced Satras from more than 65 to just 35 in the past decades, according to the Majuli District Office spokesperson. Worse, not every Satra is properly maintained.

Unlike Makon, the Samaguri Satra is located away from the Brahmaputra River and has, therefore, been spared the devastation caused by annual floods. That explains why Pradip Goswami, another local mask artist and a cousin of Hem Chandra, wishes there were more opportunities to produce the masks commercially.

“The way for mask making to continue spreading is by having a bridge over the river to connect us to the mainland,” he said.

‘This is all we know’

In 2022, the Assam government announced the construction of an 8km (5-mile) bridge connecting Majuli to Jorhat. But the $70m project was halted in September last year after Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation Limited (UPSBCL), a state-run entity tasked with building the bridge, withdrew from the project over payment disputes, according to local media reports.

Al Jazeera reached out to the UPSBCL for its response to such speculations, but did not receive any reply.

In May this year, the Assam government said it was looking for a new contractor to construct the bridge. But Majuli residents say the government has been apathetic towards their lives and livelihoods affected by the floods.

The Majuli Cultural Landscape Management Authority (MCLMA), created in 2006 to oversee the island’s development and protect its cultural heritage, has not held a meeting in more than a decade, alleges MCLMA executive member Sanjib Borkakoti. Even the office where he used to attend meetings twice a year does not exist any more, he says.

“There is no [government] supervision,” Borkakoti told Al Jazeera. He said the Indian government tried at least twice – unsuccessfully – for a UNESCO World Heritage Site status for Majuli, a tag that would have brought “international attention and pushed the local government to protect what’s remaining”.

Al Jazeera reached out to a government spokesperson and Majuli’s local officials for their response to Borkakoti’s allegations, but did not get any reply.

Meanwhile, for Majuli residents like Makon, art goes beyond just preserving a cultural identity. It is rooted in survival.

“We just don’t know if we will have a home tomorrow,” Makon says as she gives shape to a clay pot, using a wooden bat. She spins the pot one last time to check for any bumps and says, “This is all we know.”

This story was funded by a Reporting Fellowship grant from the South Asian Journalists Association.

Huge fires around Bursa, Turkiye’s fourth-largest city, broke out over the weekend, leading to more than 3,500 people fleeing their homes. On Monday morning, fog-like smoke from fires and smouldering foliage hung over the city.

Unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions, and strong winds have been fuelling the wildfires, with Turkiye and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean experiencing record-breaking heatwaves.

The death toll from wildfires outside the city of Bursa in northwest Turkiye rose to four late on Sunday after two volunteer firefighters died.

The pair died in hospital after they were pulled from a water tanker that rolled while heading to a forest fire, news agency IHA reported. Another worker died earlier at the scene of the accident, and a firefighter died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack.

Their deaths raised Turkiye’s wildfire death toll to 17 since late June, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday in a fire in the northwestern city of Eskisehir.

The fires around Bursa were among hundreds to have hit the country over the past month. While firefighting teams have contained the damage to a limited number of homes, vast tracts of forest have been turned to ash.

Turkiye battled at least 44 separate fires on Sunday, said Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli. He identified two fires in Bursa province, as well as blazes in Karabuk in the northwest, and Kahramanmaras in the south, as the most serious.

The government declared disaster areas in two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik. Prosecutions have been launched against 97 people in 33 of Turkiye’s 81 provinces in relation to the fires, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.

Brits jetting off during the busy summer holidays have been issued a stark warning as 450 staff members across three separate companies are threatening to strike at a major UK airport

UK holidaymakers could face significant disruption if 450 workers at one UK airport plan to go ahead with strike action.

Unionised staff members at Glasgow Airport – Scotland’s second largest hub – have been embroiled in disputes around pay and working conditions for months, with an overwhelming 98.7 per cent of members backing industrial action. The strikes, which could take place in weeks during the busy summer holidays, involve three separate companies based at Glasgow Airport: Swissport, ICTS Central Search, and Glasgow Airport Ltd.

The looming threat comes after 100 workers from Glasgow Airport Ltd (including airport ambassadors, airside support officers, engineers, and managers) rejected a four per cent increase. Unite points out that the company made a staggering £40.65 million in its ‘latest recorded accounts’.

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Around 250 ICTS Central Search workers are also stuck in an on-going dispute due to understaffing, working conditions, and pay. These staff members worth with passengers directly in the security search area – meaning any strikes could spark long delays.

Lastly, 100 workers at Swissport – the country’s largest ground handler – are in dispute over ‘working rotas and work-life balance, plus health and safety concerns’. A consultative ballot on a new offer has been made by Swissport to address the issues raised – which will conclude on Monday, July 14. “If this offer is rejected, Unite will move to open a full industrial action ballot,” United the Union said. “Swissport made £17.6m in its latest recorded profits.

On the flip side, a dispute involving 300 Menzies Aviation workers – which the Mirror reported about here – has now been resolved. It comes after the union negotiated a deal which establishes a four per cent minimum increase in pay for new starters, and up to 10 per cent for workers depending on their grades. 50 Falck firefighters who perform fire safety functions at the airport have also come to an agreement after being offered a basic wage increase of 4.5 per cent.

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“Employers at Glasgow Airport will not get away with underpaying or mistreating Unite’s members,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in a statement. “Hundreds of workers are involved in disputes at the airport. Summer strike action which would ground planes and passengers remains on the cards. These highly profitable companies can easily afford to put the minds of the travelling public at rest by making fair offers to workers.”

Last year, it was reported that Glasgow Airport handled a whopping 8,067,685 passengers in 2024 – a 9.63 per cent spike compared to the year before. The hub flies to 82 destinations in 28 different countries, and offers 20 domestic flights. If workers at all three companies go ahead with their vow to strike – it’s clear the school holiday season will quickly turn into chaos.

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport told the Mirror: “We are reviewing the ballot results and remain open to finding a sensible resolution.” Similarly, a spokesperson for Swissport said: “Our priority is the safety and wellbeing and fair treatment of our workforce, alongside maintaining high standards of service for our customers and we remain committed to working constructively with Unite to find a fair and sustainable resolution.”

The Mirror has approached ICTS Central Search for comment.

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Over the last several months, a deep sense of unease has settled over laboratories across the United States. Researchers at every stage — from graduate students to senior faculty — have been forced to shelve experiments, rework career plans, and quietly warn each other not to count on long-term funding. Some are even considering leaving the country altogether.

This growing anxiety stems from an abrupt shift in how research is funded — and who, if anyone, will receive support moving forward. As grants are being frozen or rescinded with little warning and layoffs begin to ripple through institutions, scientists have been left to confront a troubling question: Is it still possible to build a future in U.S. science?

On May 2, the White House released its Fiscal Year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request, proposing a nearly $18-billion cut from the National Institutes of Health. This cut, which represents approximately 40% of the NIH’s 2025 budget, is set to take effect on Oct. 1 if adopted by Congress.

“This proposal will have long-term and short-term consequences,” said Stephen Jameson, president of the American Assn. of Immunologists. “Many ongoing research projects will have to stop, clinical trials will have to be halted, and there’ll be the knock-on effects on the trainees who are the next generation of leaders in biomedical research. So I think there’s going to be varied and potentially catastrophic effects, especially on the next generation of our researchers, which in turn will lead to a loss of the status of the U.S. as a leader in biomedical research.“

In the request, the administration justified the move as part of its broader commitment to “restoring accountability, public trust, and transparency at the NIH.” It accused the NIH of engaging in “wasteful spending” and “risky research,” releasing “misleading information,” and promoting “dangerous ideologies that undermine public health.”

National Institutes of Health.

(NIH.gov)

To track the scope of NIH funding cuts, a group of scientists and data analysts launched Grant Watch, an independent project that monitors grant cancellations at the NIH and the National Science Foundation. This database compiles information from public government records, official databases, and direct submissions from affected researchers, grant administrators, and program directors.

As of July 3, Grant Watch reports 4,473 affected NIH grants, totaling more than $10.1 billion in lost or at-risk funding. These include research and training grants, fellowships, infrastructure support, and career development awards — and affect large and small institutions across the country. Research grants were the most heavily affected, accounting for 2,834 of the listed grants, followed by fellowships (473), career development awards (374) and training grants (289).

The NIH plays a foundational role in U.S. research. Its grants support the work of more than 300,000 scientists, technicians and research personnel, across some 2,500 institutions and comprising the vast majority of the nation’s biomedical research workforce. As an example, one study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that funding from the NIH contributed to research associated with every one of the 210 new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2010 and 2016.

Jameson emphasized that these kinds of breakthroughs are made possible only by long-term federal investment in fundamental research. “It’s not just scientists sitting in ivory towers,” he said. “There are enough occasions where [basic research] produces something new and actionable — drugs that will save lives.”

That investment pays off in other ways too. In a 2025 analysis, United for Medical Research, a nonprofit coalition of academic research institutions, patient groups and members of the life sciences industry, found that every dollar the NIH spends generates $2.56 in economic activity.

A ‘brain drain’ on the horizon

Support from the NIH underpins not only research, but also the training pipeline for scientists, physicians and entrepreneurs — the workforce that fuels U.S. leadership in medicine, biotechnology and global health innovation. But continued American preeminence is not a given. Other countries are rapidly expanding their investments in science and research-intensive industries.

If current trends continue, the U.S. risks undergoing a severe “brain drain.” In a March survey conducted by Nature, 75% of U.S. scientists said they were considering looking for jobs abroad, most commonly in Europe and Canada.

This exodus would shrink domestic lab rosters, and could erode the collaborative power and downstream innovation that typically follows discovery. “It’s wonderful that scientists share everything as new discoveries come out,” Jameson said. “But, you tend to work with the people who are nearby. So if there’s a major discovery in another country, they will work with their pharmaceutical companies to develop it, not ours.”

At UCLA, Dr. Antoni Ribas has already started to see the ripple effects. “One of my senior scientists was on the job market,” Ribas said. “She had a couple of offers before the election, and those offers were higher than anything that she’s seen since. What’s being offered to people looking to start their own laboratories and independent research careers is going down — fast.”

In addition, Ribas, who directs the Tumor Immunology Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, says that academia and industry are now closing their door to young talent. “The cuts in academia will lead to less positions being offered,” Ribas explained. “Institutions are becoming more reluctant to attract new faculty and provide startup packages.” At the same time, he said, the biotech industry is also struggling. “Even companies that were doing well are facing difficulties raising enough money to keep going, so we’re losing even more potential positions for researchers that are finishing their training.”

This comes at a particularly bitter moment. Scientific capabilities are soaring, with new tools allowing researchers to examine single cells in precise detail, probe every gene in the genome, and even trace diseases at the molecular level. “It’s a pity,” Ribas said, “Because we have made demonstrable progress in treating cancer and other diseases. But now we’re seeing this artificial attack being imposed on the whole enterprise.”

Without federal support, he warns, the system begins to collapse. “It’s as if you have a football team, but then you don’t have a football field. We have the people and the ideas, but without the infrastructure — the labs, the funding, the institutional support — we can’t do the research.”

For graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in particular, funding uncertainty has placed them in a precarious position.

“I think everyone is in this constant state of uncertainty,” said Julia Falo, a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley and recording secretary of UAW 4811, the union for workers at the University of California. “We don’t know if our own grants are going to be funded, if our supervisor’s grants are going to be funded, or even if there will be faculty jobs in the next two years.”

She described colleagues who have had funding delayed or withdrawn without warning, sometimes for containing flagged words like “diverse” or “trans-” or even for having any international component.

The stakes are especially high for researchers on visas. As Falo points out for those researchers, “If the grant that is funding your work doesn’t exist anymore, you can be issued a layoff. Depending on your visa, you may have only a few months to find a new job — or leave the country.”

A graduate student at a California university, who requested anonymity due to the potential impact on their own position — which is funded by an NIH grant— echoed those concerns. “I think we’re all a little on edge. We’re all nervous,” they said. “We have to make sure that we’re planning only a year in advance, just so that we can be sure that we’re confident of where that funding is going to come from. In case it all of a sudden gets cut.”

The student said their decision to pursue research was rooted in a desire to study rare diseases often overlooked by industry. After transitioning from a more clinical setting, they were drawn to academia for its ability to fund smaller, higher-impact projects — the kind that might never turn a profit but could still change lives. They hope to one day become a principal investigator, or PI, and lead their own research lab.

Now, that path feels increasingly uncertain. “If things continue the way that they have been,” they said. “I’m concerned about getting or continuing to get NIH funding, especially as a new PI.”

Still, they are staying committed to academic research. “If we all shy off and back down, the people who want this defunded win.”

Rallying behind science

Already, researchers, universities and advocacy groups have been pushing back against the proposed budget cut.

On campuses across the country, students and researchers have organized rallies, marches and letter-writing campaigns to defend federal research funding. “Stand Up for Science” protests have occurred nationwide, and unions like UAW 4811 have mobilized across the UC system to pressure lawmakers and demand support for at-risk researchers. Their efforts have helped prevent additional state-level cuts in California: in June, the Legislature rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed $129.7-million reduction to the UC budget.

Earlier this year, a coalition of public health groups, researchers and unions — led by the American Public Health Assn. — sued the NIH and Department of Health and Human Services over the termination of more than a thousand grants. On June 16, U.S. District Judge William Young ruled in their favor, ordering the NIH to reinstate over 900 canceled grants and calling the terminations unlawful and discriminatory. Although the ruling applies only to grants named in the lawsuit, it marks the first major legal setback to the administration’s research funding rollback.

Though much of the current spotlight (including that lawsuit) has focused on biomedical science, the proposed NIH cuts threaten research far beyond immunology or cancer. Fields ranging from mental health to environmental science stand to lose crucial support. And although some grants may be in the process of reinstatement, the damage already done — paused projects, lost jobs and upended career paths — can’t simply be undone with next year’s budget.

And yet, amid the fear and frustration, there’s still resolve. “I’m floored by the fact that the trainees are still devoted,” Jameson said. “They still come in and work hard. They’re still hopeful about the future.”

June 24 (UPI) — President Donald Trump‘s decision to target farm workers in immigration raids has advocates sounding the alarm that the U.S. food supply is at risk.

Trump changed direction on his deportation plans, shifting from avoiding farms, restaurants and the hospitality industry to a “no safe spaces” approach. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of public affairs for the Department of Homeland Security, clarified the directions given for raids in a statement to UPI.

“The president has been incredibly clear. There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” McLaughlin said. “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safe guard [sic] public safety, national security and economic stability. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation.”

McLaughlin and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to follow-up questions.

About half of the hired agricultural workforce working on crop farms lack legal immigration status, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. More than 80% are considered “settled” workers, meaning they continually work in a single location within 75 miles of their home.

It is not only undocumented workers who are worried about being detained, Ron Estrada, CEO of the nonprofit advocacy organization Farmworker Justice, told UPI. Legally authorized workers and citizens have been swept up in the raids as well.

“That is something that is absolutely unacceptable in this day and age in our country,” Estrada said. “We’re at the point where people are not risking being detained or arrested so they’re not showing up for work.”

Antonio De Loera-Brust, spokesperson for United Farm Workers, told UPI that most immigrant workers continue going to work despite their fears.

“They cannot afford not to, given the shameful poverty and low wages farm workers endure,” he said. “The workers who feed America should not have to go to work afraid they won’t come home.”

Enforcement activities have been prevalent in California’s Coachella Valley and Ventura County, disrupting grape, lemon, strawberry and date operations, according to De Loera-Brust. The citrus harvest in Kern County, Calif., early in the year was also affected by a wave of deportations.

ICE reported detaining more than 100 people in Tallahassee, Fla., during a raid on May 29. The raid took place at a construction site where immigrants from Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Honduras were arrested.

“These types of enforcement actions aim to eliminate illegal employment, holding employers accountable and protecting employment opportunities for America’s lawful workforce,” Nicholas Ingegno, assistant special agent with ICE Homeland Security Investigations, said in a statement.

Nebraska has also faced large raids, including the raid of a meat-packing plant in Omaha where more than 70 people were detained. The Nebraska Alliance for Thriving Communities said in a statement that the Trump administration’s detention and removal policy has “sent harmful ripple effects” across the state.

“From our many perspectives and thousands of conversations across the state, we know the current situation is unsustainable. We have tens of thousands of unfilled jobs of all types in our state,” the statement said. “These events — and their overwhelming impact on people and workplaces — are symptoms of a broader 40-year policy failure by Congress to update our federal immigration laws.”

Carmen Martinez, deputy policy director for Centro de los Derechos del Migrante Inc., told UPI that the raids can have a chilling effect on workers reporting abuse in the workplace, such as wage theft, discrimination and unsafe working environments.

“Folks who are reluctant to come in because they’re afraid they’re going to be the next target for deportation are also hesitant to speak about any issues they experience in the workplace,” Martinez said. “Because folks need to make a living these folks will be putting up with a lot more abuses.”

Martinez said in the agriculture industry there is a large share of workers who are undocumented while many others are working under the H-2A temporary agricultural workers program.

“We’ll all be for worse,” Martinez said of the effects of continuing raids. “If folks who are putting food on our table don’t feel safe going to work it’s going to have a huge impact. And scrupulous employers will continue to abuse their workers.”

The loss of even a portion of the migrant workforce will be difficult to replace, according to Estrada. Many of the positions filled by immigrants of all statuses are jobs that other Americans will not take. These are also jobs that cannot be automated.

“There’s been discussion of mechanization replacing these workers. It will never fully replace human hands,” Estrada said. “Especially in our specialty crops. Farmworkers are still very much needed because the crops that require handpicking like tomatoes, you don’t want to bruise the harvest. The reality is you still need these hands, these skilled labor workers to come in and do the work.”

With an unknown number of migrant workers being removed from the workforce, the nation’s food supply will be directly affected.

“Eventually we will see prices increase. We’re going to have some consumer shock,” Estrada said. “After prices continue to go up there is going to be a decrease in availability of some fresh fruits and vegetables. That is going to be the result of farms closing because of the impact of labor issues and having a lack of workforce. Then we lose that production.”

Those who remain on the job will not be able to make up for lost production, Estrada added.

“If you remove 50% of the workforce, you can imagine what the other 50% is going to go through,” he said. “They can’t double their hours. They’re already maximizing the time they’re on the fields. This is something that requires a permanent solution.”

UK holidaymakers could experience serious travel disruption over the busy summer holiday period, as workers in two major airports could ballot over strike action against their employer

Brits could face serious travel disruption over the summer holidays, as workers at two major UK airports threaten strike action.

Unite the Union has revealed that staff at Edinburgh and Glasgow Airport have overwhelmingly rejected ‘unacceptable’ pay offers from their employer, Menzies Aviation. An overwhelming 97 per cent of around 300 workers at Glasgow Airport and 100 per cent of some 300 workers at Edinburgh Airport voted against the proposed deals.

The union has since warned that unless Menzies Aviation presents an improved offer, it will be forced to ballot members for strike action, potentially causing summer travel chaos. “Summer strike action looms over Edinburgh and Glasgow airports because the pay offers on the table from Menzies Aviation aren’t good enough,” Unite industrial officer Carrie Binnie said.

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“Menzies Aviation has the ability to improve its offers and they can easily resolve this pay dispute without any disruption to the travelling public. If the company fail to table a better offer to our members, Unite will have no option but to ballot our members for strikes over the summer holidays.”

Glasgow rejected a 4.25 per cent pay increase, while Edinburgh rejected a four per cent increase. The union emphasised that the ground crew workers, including dispatchers, allocators, airside agents, and controllers, all play a vital role in supporting major airlines.

The threat of industrial action follows similar tensions last year. However, these strikes were called off when workers accepted a new and improved pay deal in July, 2024.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham added: “Unite’s Menzies members have emphatically rejected unacceptable pay offers. The Menzies group is posting sky-high profits and our members who contribute towards this success deserve far better from the company.”

Last year, Edinburgh Airport handled a record-breaking 15.78 million passengers, a 10 per cent increase compared to the year before. Despite only having one runway and one terminal, 37 airlines operate from the hub – travelling to 155 different destinations.

Glasgow Airport is much smaller, and only welcomed 7.5 million passengers last year. Still, it was a 13 per cent increase from the previous year – and outranks Aberdeen (2.2 million) and Inverness (801,000) combined. According to reports, the hub flies to 27 different countries and offers 185 routes.

If your flight has been cancelled delayed in the last six year, or five in Scotland, you could still be eligible for compensation. You can find out more here.

PA approached Menzies Aviation for comment.

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May 19 (UPI) — The National Weather Service in Alabama warned Monday that weather radio broadcasts are offline for routine maintenance as severe storms are forecast to hit the state Tuesday.

The weather service said while all watches and warnings will be released over the next few days, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Radio transmitters will be offline during that time. Severe storms are forecast Tuesday for much of Alabama.

“NWS local offices plan to inform listeners both on-air and on their websites when updates are scheduled,” according to the NOAA Weather Radio website. NOAA Weather Radio is a network of stations that broadcasts warnings and weather information from the National Weather Service. The Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System, or AWIPS, went offline Monday and will remain down through Wednesday.

“Our Weather Radio broadcasts have concluded and will remain unavailable until our system updates are complete,” NWS Birmingham wrote Monday in a post on X. “Weather products will continue to be transmitted via the Internet, weather apps and wireless emergency alerts.”

“During the time of the update, forecast operations will be conducted in conjunction with our service back-up office in Peachtree City in Georgia to minimize any potential interruption to services,” the National Weather Service said Monday. “No impacts to our core services of forecast products and weather watches, warnings and advisories are expected during this period.”

The software updates will impact transmitters across northern and central Alabama. The NWS said its forecast office in Birmingham will remain open and staffed during the maintenance.

Approximately 31 million people from Texas, north to Iowa, could see severe storms starting Monday with forecasts showing strong winds, hail and tornadoes. That risk will shift Tuesday to Louisiana and north into Alabama and Indiana.

The NWS is urging Alabama residents to gather several weather sources — the Internet, weather apps and local emergency management — to ensure they receive all severe weather warnings in order to stay safe over the next few days.

Deadly storms and tornadoes over the weekend hit 10 different states, including Texas, Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky, where at least 28 people were killed.

The BBC presenters were slammed for talking over the official Eurovision hosts, Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer.

While Eurovision fans were thrilled by the latest batch of offerings at the semi-finals on Thursday night (May 15), they were less than impressed by the ongoing commentary made by BBC presenters Rylan Clark and Scott Mills.

While 16 countries battled it out in Switzerland, for one of just 10 spots in Saturday’s Grand Final, viewers took to social media to accuse Rylan and Scott of “talking over everything” and making it harder to enjoy the show. One person watching the song contest at home took to the internet to hit out at the presenters, fuming: “If the BBC One commentators would just shut up now and again, Eurovision would be much more enjoyable instead of talking over top of everyone.”

Another chimed in, adding: “Jesus Christ. Scott and Rylan wait for the bloody song to finish before you start the insane chatter.” While the cheeky duo are known for their light-hearted banter, not everyone was in the mood for their running jokes tonight.

One X user pleaded: “I beg commentators to let us watch the show and stop talking OVER EVERYTHING (and yes I’m looking at you Marty, Rylan and Scott).” A fourth aimed their protest directly at the BBC figures, exclaiming: “C’mon Rylan and Scott, let us hear what they are saying!”

“Why are Rylan and Scott talking over the presenters?” another fan asked bluntly, in reference to the UK broadcasting team speaking over the official Eurovision hosts Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer.

However, some viewers defended them, saying they prefer to hear Rylan and Scott’s thoughts on the performances over those of the official hosts. “In stitches at Scott Mills and Rylan tonight,” one fan tweeted. “Brilliant commentators and PLEASE keep talking over the hosts.”

Earlier in the night, viewers also weighed in on Hazel Brugger’s fashion choices, making fun of her glittery sequined dress which they compared to early 2000s CDs and a fish from the cover of a children’s book.

Tonight’s performance kicked off with Australian singer Go-Jo performing his eccentric song Milkshake Man. This was followed by catchy tunes from Ireland, Latvia, and Armenia.

Viewers seemed especially obsessed with Lithuania’s performance, which involved a wind machine and flying debris on stage. The ten countries that made it through to Saturday’s final have been announced, and they include Armenia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Malta.

Unfortunately this means that Australia, Czechia, Georgia, Ireland, Montenegro, and Serbia will be sent home without a trophy. Several Eurovision fans correctly predicted three of the losing nations ahead of tonight’s performances.

Internet sleuths guessed that Georgia would be eliminated because their song was less powerful than the pieces composed by other countries. One also said that the singer representing Ireland sounded too “nervous”, which would cost her points.

Country-pop trio Remember Monday are representing the UK this year, and took to the stage for the first time tonight with their theatrical entry What the Hell Just Happened? The song captures the chaos of the morning after a night that has gone off the rails. They are already guaranteed a spot in Saturday’s Grand Final as part of the ‘big five’, which includes Italy, Spain, France, and Germany.

The Eurovision Grand Final will take place on Saturday, May 17 at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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