Morning bird: Storms hit the UK, snow hit the airport. The limitation of service according to Stanjury would allow for a wage increase
The United Kingdom is grappling with problems caused by Storm Bert. The country is experiencing problems with electricity and transport infrastructure, snow at airports has hindered aircraft takeoffs. Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura pointed out that a wage increase for police officers could potentially allow for a reduction in service in security forces. Trump's proposal to use the military to deport immigrants from the country is encountering legal and political opposition even within the Republican Party. A coin from the times of the gold rush was auctioned for nearly 1.5 million dollars
The United Kingdom must deal with storm "Bert"
On Saturday, storm Bert blanketed Britain with snow, rain, and strong winds, killing one person and closing several railway lines, bridges, and roads. The storm also hit Ireland, where it flooded roads in the west of the country and disrupted power supplies to tens of thousands of customers. A sixty-year-old man died on a motorway in southern England after a tree fell on his car, local police said. The runway at Newcastle airport in northeastern England was covered with snow, temporarily disrupting flights.
Some train services were suspended in Scotland due to weather. The Severn Bridge, which connects Wales to England, was closed due to strong winds. Snow covered roads and cars got stuck in some parts of northern Britain. The meteorological office considers the situation very risky, Reuters agency reported.
Reducing service time could solve the problems with the salaries of police officers and firefighters
In the discussion program Questions of Vaclav Moravec, the Minister of Finance, Zbyněk Stanjura (ODS), stated that the low salaries of security forces could potentially help solve their pensions. Their system is outdated and lowering them would allow the financial means to be found for appropriate salaries for active members. However, the current government will not address this issue and will leave the solution to their successors.
The state spends 13 billion crowns annually on pensions. Police salaries are expected to increase by 1500 crowns next year and the stabilization contribution is also supposed to increase by 1000 crowns per month. However, members of security forces are protesting and demanding a larger increase in salaries, CTK reported.
Republican Senator Criticizes Trump's Plan to Expel Immigrants by Military
On Sunday, Republican Senator Rand Paul spoke out against the military conducting mass deportations of people living in the country illegally, after President-elect Donald Trump hinted last week that he plans to do so.
"You don't do it with the military because it's illegal. If they send the army to New York and there's going to be 10,000 soldiers marching with semi-automatic weapons, I think that's a terrible idea, and I'll be against it,"
Republican Rand Paul said in a television broadcast according to the agency Reuters. A 19th century American law prohibits the use of federal units in enforcing domestic law except in cases where it is allowed by Congress.
A coin from the gold rush times was auctioned for almost 1.5 million dollars
Coin collectors on Tuesday afternoon at an auction house in Southern California pounced on a rare gold "double eagle" coin worth $20, but only one of them left victorious when he paid a high price. The gold coin - struck in Carson City, Nevada in 1870 - sold for $1.44 million (about 30 million crowns) including the buyer's premium, which is a fee paid to the gallery organizing the auction. Only 3,789 of these coins were produced and an estimated 40 to 50 pieces remain.
The auction house did not provide any information about who bought the coin. Before 1849, the highest denomination of gold coin was 10 dollars, known as an eagle. The twenty-dollar double eagle was authorized after the California Gold Rush brought an increased amount of gold, AP news agency reported.
Sources: apnews.com, reuters.com, ČTK
