The National Health Service has been hit by waves of strikes in recent months as soaring inflation eats into wages and pandemic backlogs coupled with staff shortages increase workloads.

Teachers across Britain have taken strike action in demand of an above-inflation pay award, leaving classrooms empty and heaping pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to help resolve the dispute.

Junior doctors agreed in 2019 to an annual 2% pay rise as part of a four-year deal but say that is now inadequate in light of much higher inflation.

Central banks across the world are studying digital currencies, with the European Union due to publish a draft law in May setting out a legal framework for a potential digital euro.

While the result, and performance, was desperately disappointing, England top the group on four points and remain in the box seat to reach the last 16.

This was a bigger drop than any of the previous official estimates and the largest fall since 1709, according to historical data hosted by the Bank of England.

The warning follows the driest July for England since 1935, when temperatures rose above 40C for the first time, turning a renewed spotlight to the impacts of climate change.

Around one in four deaths from all cancers in England is linked to smoking, according to official figures.

The Omicron subvariant BA.2 is now dominant.

Cases are soaring once again across Britain due to a rampant Omicron variant, with around one in 20 people currently infected.

Health Minister Sajid Javid credits the country's booster programme for allowing restrictions to be lifted.

The relaxing of restrictions have been seen as a concession to critics angry at revelations that he and his staff broke Covid lockdown rules by holding parties at Downing Street.