Latest news with #AndrewEdwards
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Former Pembrokeshire councillor banned after racist voice note
A former councillor has been disqualified from serving on any authority for four years after sending a racist Edwards sent a WhatsApp voice note saying white men should have black slaves, an ombudsman investigation previously case was referred to the Adjudication Panel for Wales who unanimously found the former Councillor had acted in breach of the code of panel also found he had shared information relating to Pembrokeshire council business alongside disrespectful comments about members of the public using the same messenger. Edwards had previously claimed the voice recording was a "deep fake", created with malicious intent by someone trying to make it seem hairdresser and businessman had admitted sharing council information and comments about the public, claiming he was "venting" to his left the Conservatives in 2023 when allegations of the comments first emerged and sparked protests outside Pembrokeshire County Hall in who had also previously served as a magistrate and school governor, then resigned as council member for the Haverfordwest Prendergast ward in December last has the right to appeal the decision of the Adjudication Panel to the High candidate Alun Wills won the Prendergast ward following a by-election in February.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$30,000 side hustle that helped Aussie mortgage broker fund wedding: ‘Too easy'
An Aussie mortgage broker has shared how he has made more than $30,000 and helped fund his wedding with an 'easy' side hustle. More Aussies are taking on second jobs or side hustles to cope with the high cost of living and give them more breathing room in their budgets. Like many Aussies, Andrew Edwards found himself working from home full-time following the pandemic. Keen to get out of the house and earn a bit of extra money for his upcoming wedding, the 41-year-old told Yahoo Finance he turned to Airtasker to pick up some odd jobs. 'I just really wanted to get out and I saw the price of the wedding. Literally, the flower quote came at $7,000,' he said. RELATED Coles, Woolworths side hustle offering $320 a year that any Aussie can do: 'No-brainer' ATO warning for every Aussie who plays lottery after $70 million Oz Lotto jackpot Rare 50 cent coin worth 80 times more: 'Keep your eyes out' 'There was one job around the corner from me, just to pick up some rubbish. I just drove our normal car over there, picked it up, drove home and put it in our wheelie bin and got paid $70. "I was like, this is too easy.' Edwards started doing jobs on the platform most afternoons after his mortgage brokerage work, including rubbish removal, small moves and furniture assembly. On the weekends, his now wife, Melany, would help with jobs too.'You can earn $800 a day pretty easily. We probably averaged about $1,000 on the weekend and about $200 during the week,' he said. 'That helped us pay for the wedding in October 2022 and since then, I'll do it here and there and in the last two years, we've been overseas six times. 'Whenever we need the extra cash to fund something like that, I'll go and do Airtasker to get extra pocket money to buy the things we want to do.' The couple, who are based in Capalaba, ended up spending $70,000 on their wedding with about 70 guests. One million Australians now work two or more jobs, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found. That's 6.7 per cent of all employees and a new record number. Airtasker's State of the Flex Economy Report surveyed more than 2,000 Aussies and found that one in two with a side hustle were putting their earnings towards paying for a holiday. About 39 per cent were putting the extra money towards their savings, while 34 per cent were using it to cover their mortgage or rent payments. Edwards said it had become harder for Aussies to get ahead on just one income, given the high cost of living. He runs his mortgage broking and lending business, AME Finance, with his wife. 'We've been overseas nearly every year before and we've never had to do this,' he told Yahoo Finance. 'But the cost of living has definitely made an impact on us. You can see it in your weekly shopping when you go to the shops, $200 gets you two bags now. 'It has definitely impacted us, especially with the rates increasing.' Edwards now spends four to six hours per week on average doing Airtasker jobs. Removals are the most in-demand skills on Airtasker, along with residential cleaning, gardening and lawn moving, general handiwork, and waste disposal collection. Edwards said he had made about $30,000 through the platform after expenses, including fees, fuel, tolls, tax and GST were taken into account. 'You can do it whenever you want. It's not like getting a part-time job where you are committed,' he said. 'So if I'm tired, I just don't do it. If I've got [other work] on, I just don't do it. It's very, very flexible and that's what works for us. "I also like doing the job and getting out and meeting and talking to people and being more face-to-face." Edwards said it was 'very cheap' to start the side hustle and people could quickly get accepted for jobs provided they had good communication. He recommended people go to Bunnings and buy the necessary straps, plastic bags for mattresses, and moving blankets. 'You can borrow someone's ute or you can get a trailer and start. You can even hire a trailer and test it and line up the jobs beforehand,' he said. 'I'd highly recommend it.'Sign in to access your portfolio
The Independent
28-01-2025
- Health
- The Independent
UK on alert over rise in drug-resistant bacterial infections in Ukraine
The number of drug-resistant infections is rapidly rising in Ukraine, according to reports - with the UK's government agency for health security on alert over a risk of case numbers increasing. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) infections occur when bacteria evolves to learn how to defend itself against common antibiotic and other medicines, making treatment ineffective. Overuse of antibiotics is the main cause of the so-called 'silent pandemic' of AMR infections, with a type of infection called Klebsiella pneumoniae now becoming a major issue for hospitals near Ukraine's frontline. Last week, the BBC reported on a sharp rise in cases faced by clinicians in Ukraine. While globally, 1.4m people died from AMR infections in 2023. In the same year, 58,000 people had AMR infections in the UK. The UK Health Security Agency has called it a global crisis with the agency calling for action to drive down infections around the world. Here, The Independent asks what is helping drive the increase in Ukraine and what can be done about it? 'Conflict and infectious diseases go hand in hand' Dr Andrew Edwards, lecturer in molecular microbiology at Imperial College London, said reports of a rapid increase in AMR in Ukraine were 'not at all surprising'. 'Conflict and infectious diseases go hand in hand because service personnel are often injured in ways that enable bacteria to get deep into tissues and establish infection,' he said. 'These infections are particularly troublesome when they involve bones and joints because these often involve plastic or metal prosthetics that bacteria can stick to and form protective structures known as biofilms that can resist antibiotics and the immune system.' Matthew Upton, professor of medical microbiology at the University of Plymouth, said poorer infection control conditions can also increase the spread of infections that are resistant to treatment. 'Conditions are likely to be less clean/hygienic than is usually expected, which increases rates of infection. Mobilisation of populations during war can increase transmission of infections too,' he said. Professor Adam Roberts from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine said those factors alone would lead to a rise in both drug-resistant and susceptible infections. Prof Roberts, who is also a member of Applied Microbiology International's One Health Advisory Group, added: 'When you combine this with likely supply chain issues for important antibiotics and medicines then you have a situation where resistant bacteria will be able to spread faster from person to person and from hospital to hospital.' What's the risk to the UK? While the reasons for its rapid spread in Ukraine appear to be war-related, and infection control protocols in the NHS are 'excellent', University of Birmingham Professor in microbial evolutionary genomics Alan McNally said the risk was not zero. 'Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are no different from other pathogens – they spread,' Prof McNally said. 'At the moment the primary concern is for Ukraine and Ukraine's health system, but we should all avoid complacency around antimicrobial-resistant infections.' Ukraine aside, Prof Roberts said it was a problem on the rise in the UK. He pointed to a 2023 government report that estimated more than 58,000 people in England had an antibiotic-resistant infection in 2022, a 4 per cent increase on 2021. 'Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing problem in the UK,' he said. Dr Edwards said it was most worrying in intensive care units and other hospital wards which use the highest quantities of antibiotics. He added: 'However, it's also a concern in the community, where relatively simple infections such as those of the urinary tract sometimes need to be treated with second or third-choice antibiotics due to resistance. These second choices may not be as effective, prolonging the time needed to cure the patient.' The UKHSA said it was alert to the risk of increased AMR bugs, both locally and abroad. The agency's deputy director Dr Colin Brown said: 'Klebsiella pneumoniae is not confined to war zones and our recent surveillance of resistant bloodstream infections in England shows that in 2023, 14 per cent were due to Klebsiella pneumoniae. 'Antimicrobial resistance is not a crisis of the future, but one that is with us right now causing over a million deaths globally each year. Unless action is taken, the availability of life saving treatments will fall and our ability to drive down infections will decrease.' What can be done to combat the drug-resistant bacteria? Governments can help by funding more research and development into new antibiotics, and then those new drugs need to be sent to low-income countries which have the biggest issue with the spread of AMR infections, Prof Upton said. 'Funding the development of additional approaches to preventing infection like increased use of vaccines will also help,' he said. Prof McNally said vaccines help not by fighting the antimicrobial-resistant bacteria itself, but by helping to reduce severe cases of infectious diseases that can lead to serious infections. There is also work being done at Imperial College with funding from the Scar Free Foundation to help prevent those infections when treating bone and joint injuries, Prof Edwards said. Led by Professor Julian Jones, British Army surgeons, bioengineers and microbiologists are developing materials that will help bones heal while also killing drug-resistant bacteria at the site of combat injuries. Prof Roberts said fighting antimicrobial resistance required a global response. 'No one country will be able to manage it on their own, AMR pathogens travel as much as we do so they can be anywhere within a day as we carry them around with us,' he said.
